Link: The Struggle for a Hero
by LostintheShuffle
Summary: Of love, despair, hate and hope. Of destiny and the search for a hero. Of a man questing for power and domination. Of a princess that flees her throne and trusts a a young man to stand before the coming tides of evil. OoT reimagined  Finished
1. The music of my father

_Author`s Note: Now complete! Let me know what you thought. Enjoy_

**Link: The Struggle for a Hero**

**Pt.1**

He sits at the ancient piano and plays the simple melody I`ve heard many nights before. It rings with the solemn beat of the forest and stirs something deep within.

"Father," I say, "Tell me again where you learned this tune.

He stops playing and looks up and out through the oval of wood to the blowing leaves and quiet night of a star-filled sky. For a moment, in the flickering light of a candle, some shadow of pain crosses his face and I want to say I`m sorry, and didn`t mean to ask that question again. But his fingers find the keys and that halting and haunting melody of the forest continues to float out into the room.

After time and a pause, he says "Son, do you know what that means?" And with a sigh he points with gnarled fingers over at the carved Deku Nut. Shaped in the form of a five-star crown, it sits atop the fireplace and has been there ever since I can remember. He has never let me play with it and handles it gently, dusting it with care. I have no answer for my father as he has never explained its history. "It was a gift" I say in a quiet whisper, now afraid at the tone of my father`s voice. "Yes, carved by someone special long ago, as a reminder to the responsibilities that fall to all of us."

And he continues, "Son, do you remember your cousin`s tribe, the Kokiri of the Green Vale?" Yes I tell him, not sure why he would ask me. "If ever I should fail to return one day, I want you to go and see her family. Tell them," and he pauses as if searching for the right words. "Tell them I could not find my way home from the Dale. They will take care of you." He said this, not looking at me, still gazing out at the night and I fear that he`s already gone, somehow lost even to his son who stands before him. But he turns and smiles suddenly, and picking me up on his knee proceeds to play the _Melody of Zelda_, an ancient tune named after the first Queen of our realm.

"Son, do you remember your stories? Of the first ruler to unite the races?" Of course I know her. The nursery rhymes of our nation`s birth made up the education of my younger years. I could recite in chant the whole 12 verses of the epic that is _Zelda`s Journey_. I glance over across the room, next to the hearth where our family altar to the saints stands. The statue of Zelda lies in the center of it, next to the statue of my late mother, accompanied by the offering of milk and bread from the local ranches. "She was a woman of great wisdom, right? I know Zelda was named after the old Goddess of beauty and love." I feel content with that knowledge, that my childish chants have taught me everything, and that the world is as big as those 12 verses.

"Here is a story, son, you may not know. In my years serving the Kingdom I was once guard to her descendant, Zephyr of the Golden Rose, privy to her secrets. One day she received a vision, of a golden triangle rent asunder by the great tusks of a wild boar. Her sudden screams brought me to her bedside; I was the first to discover the tattoo. Three triangles, interlocked and full of golden radiance, shining upon her hand. Myself and the other three guards present were the first to swear allegiance to this vision and miracle, swearing to serve and protect, in secrecy, the lineage of Zelda forever. The moment I kissed her hand it so appeared on mine."

And I swear this to be true, though I may doubt it in later years. My father holds up his hand for me to see and the sacred Triforce appears on his skin. It is etched lightly between scarred knuckles and the wrist of his right hand. Why I had I never seen this? "This was to be our secret sign, shared with passing generations; the call for hope among a sundered nation. If it ever appears as it does now I am needed. Do you understand?" I did not understand, there being no legend or tale about this, but as he looked down at me so serious and solemn I feel suddenly the part of something much larger than the two of us.

In the flickering candle light he stands and strides across creaky boards to a wide chest. I continue to tap the keys of the piano in imitation of my father, yet the tune always come quick and childish and I can never duplicate his serious playing. I hear a slam and turn, expecting the books of scripture, it being that time of night to study and read. Instead he has in his arms a large pack and a bundled, long case. "Come on over here." The oiled cloth was spread out over the rough timber of the table and the silver case lies open. "There are rumors coming from the far kingdoms, of a rising threat attacking the outskirt settlements." Out comes the silver sword I had seen only once before, on a dark night when he had emerged tired and bloody, when I was barely learning to crawl. It's a memory of fear at the state of my father and a vague, silver blur of color that was the sword being shut away in the chest, for good I then thought.

He gazes into the silver metal, at the flash of pale fire that was the reflecting candle and I see a streak of passion pass across his face. Like he had once found something so joyful about the sword. But that strange solemn expression so present on this night comes slamming down again over that small smile and my father once again moves with ponderous grace. He puts the sword in an old sheath, stretches through the sling and settles it across his shoulder. He speaks again. "A promise calls me back and I`m going to help. If you ever learn anything from me it's to keep your words, Son" The heavy pack goes over one shoulder and he turns and squats down to my level. I cannot understand all that is happening and confused thoughts whirl around my head. "When will you be back?" The Triforce tattoo still glows faintly as he shrugs a glove on over the symbol. "Remember your cousin, Son. If I don`t come on the second rising of the sun from the morrow, go to her. This cabin is not the safe place it once was." I jump quickly into a deep hug, bewildered still at the sudden conclusion of a once-cozy evening.

He stops before the open doorway to put his hand on my head. "Sleep with the fire lit tonight, son. " I reach up and grasp his hand tight, willing him back to the light of candle and the music of the piano. But it is the last I hear from him. He turns into the gloom of night, descending down the ladder to the soft grass and whispering woods. I find myself at the railing, wanting to go with him, wanting to stop him, yell the bad words I had heard from the kids in the woods. Anything but let my father mount his horse and ride into the woods, out of the moonlight and out of my life.

Then he is gone. And there is silence then, the silence of loss and the unknown. I feel the pain of coming tears and retreat to the glowing candle and start a fire in the fireplace. Its long before the tears dry and the fire has died down to glaring embers. The cold of the night slips in and I go to the tinder box, searching for logs. There, inside the box, are two carved items sitting wrapped in a large green cloth. The wooden shield is a bit large for me and the carved sword still heavy for my arms. But they are from my father and I promise I will grow strong. I add logs, the fire springs to life again and I snuggle underneath the green cloth, drawing the wooden sword up to my chest. In the moments before blessed sleep I see the handle of the sword and a carved name, my name, written upon it. Link.


	2. The Death of a Friend

He watches for the call of morning from the highland plateau above his village. The grass is deep in this meadow and he sits straight-backed, looking up at the starry brilliance of the sky. "My village," he thinks, "so strange after living only in the company of my father since birth." The pain is still raw; still he wakes from sleep reaching out to a darkened silhouette, ever fading. He grips the carved sword in his lap, the hilt worn smooth from two years of steady training and calms those troubled thoughts.

It is with youthful joy that he then sees the sky lighten and a fiery ball of light crests the horizon. Suddenly the tips of the grass are aflame with the rising sunrise and he marvels at the audacity of nature to be so beautiful. Up he springs, an uncoiling of muscle and tendon into a ferocious sweep of the sword. It whistles through the air and a loud roar echoes from Link`s young throat, a pure release of energy and emotion. The sun gains the sky bit by bit as Link continues to swipe at the grasses with his wooden sword. They bend and swish under his efforts until one cut parts the very blade of grass in two. "Yes," he yells, jumping around excitedly. "Improvement," he thinks.

Later that day he comes down from the eastern pass, descending on the path that overlooks his village. The reds, blues and oranges of the roofs jump out, their swirling shapes always reminding him of acorns that drop from the many deku trees scattered through the forest. The single large lake sparkles in the morning sun and he can make out Saren, his cousin, swimming around in it. "Up there practicing, huh?" The noise startles Link and looks around. There, up on a high rock wall is a thick, solid man in the greens of the village, weaving baskets for the market; the grass stalks in his hand weaving in and out of each other swiftly and surely. "Dareck! Good morning. I wish my sword was so quick as your fingers. Any news of my friend Jarin? Has he come back yet?" "Afraid not, Link. Say, my youngest said she was looking for you earlier. Might run into her." Link`s face betrays a huge grin as he waves goodbye and sets off at a run towards his house.

His feet know the shortcuts and he jumps off the rim of rock surrounding the village, lands on the roof of the local store and runs off along a wood walkway connecting various houses with the lake and fields. Up a ladder, through the open portal of his house and there is Lynn, seated on his bed, playing with a wooden crown. His smile fades and he snatches it away from her, putting it up high on a shelf. "Lynn, you must not touch this. It was my father`s." There is the sad pain of loss in his eyes but Lynn does not see it with his back turned. "Anyway Lynn, good morning!" He rushes to hug her and she squeals in delight, the crown forgotten. "Link, enough, you nearly hugged me to death. I just wanted to thank you for helping pick herbs and flowers yesterday. I know you promised to accompany Jarin to Lon Lon Ranch but we had so much fun didn`t we?" With a little twinge of regret he thinks of his promise to Jarin. "Well he`s 13, nearly my age and I shouldn`t have to accompany him everywhere. Besides, it's you who should never be in the woods without someone to look after you." "Like you?" Lynn says, half-joking, half-serious with eyes too open, staring too questioningly that Link, embarrassed turns aside. "Hey I almost forgot why I came over. I made this for you last night." There on the bed is a cloth-wrapped bundle. "Oh, than-", but Lynn is gone, out the door while he looks at the present.

He sits on the bed, holding the present and thinks of Lynn and this feeling in his chest, like a dozen fairies beating around in his heart. He almost forgets to open the present. Inside is a dried shell of a Jingu berry, hollow with a few holes carved around it. "A whistle," he wonders, "maybe a flute?" He sets it down on the shelf next to his father`s crown.

……………..

Time will heal my wounds, soap and water will wash away the blood but the memories are scarred into my heart and I cannot forget. The dawn that stood so joyous in my mind not 24 hours ago now shines dull and harsh upon the body of my friend. I can do nothing except hold his hand and numbly stare at the blood around his mouth. This is my fault; this is the result of forgetting a promise and pursuing the fancies of love. Oh, Jarin! The arrows that pierced his body have been burnt and the arrowheads broken into tiny pieces. The rest of the tribe slumbers in their beds, soon to awaken and find of my fate. What can I tell them? Justice done, revenge exacted? They are forever a peaceful people and cannot understand the hatred that consumed me. And oh the look on Lynn`s face when she saw Jarin carried in last evening. That I could not take, more so than my own failure; death and violence brought into this tribe, with who`s peace I had so loved. Why are there no tears when my heart aches at the thought of my friend who is now this red and green nothing?

……………..

Jarin came in the arms of Ser and Dareck, anguish in their eyes, mute until they set his body down in front of the great Deku Tree. The tribe had gathered, ringing his body with horror and disbelief on their faces. "What happened," someone cried. Dareck looked up from pulling an arrow out of Jarin`s arm. "We found him in the grove by the Singing Rock, crawling on hands and knees. His last words were "the lizard people."" Gasps went up and hushed whispers of rattling terror could be heard. No one had heard of these creatures ever venturing beyond the deserts or mountains. What were they doing this far into our woods?

I was still in shock from the death of my friend and had not thought upon my broken promise. The talks continued as the sun set and yet there were no plans of hunting these creatures down. "What of revenge?" I said. "We need to make sure they are not hunting these woods further." "Link," said the eldest, an old woman named Terell, "you were not born of this tribe and so cannot understand the balance we strive for. To kill in return would be upsetting the spirit of natural harmony." I saw suddenly the difference between them and I. Were I older I would know the word _justice_ and so be able to name the emotion running through me. But I didn`t and only knew that revenge would balance out this act, not the peaceful withdrawal from conflict.

And so I ran. Through the dark of midnight; along the arcing path of tree branches I had learned to know like my own body. Ran to outrun the growing shame and guilt. Ran to forget Jarin`s dead face, so innocent and smiling in memory. I ran until I could not draw breath, until I felt tears run down my cheeks. I was my father now, going to some distant battle, not caring of the danger, only aware of a burning need to fulfill a goal. That was the last I ever thought of him, his legacy of duty burned forever into my heart.

I drew near the grove and searched hours for signs. Long I hunted that black night, following the trail of footprints and discarded food. I only remember spotting the glow of a fire: a single spark of light in the silent forest. Three Lizard men sat around it, the oily sheen of perspiration giving them an alien, disgusting presence. For the first time in my life I hated someone. Hated them for killing, for forcing me to confront my failure and for making me feel such a desire to kill. The firelight gleamed in the reptile eyes of the one closest and his snout "whuffed" in scent.

I don`t remember the walk back through the forest, nor entering the village. But I remember the rush out of the bushes, the way the reptile`s eye widened suddenly and the meaty thud of my wooden sword on his head. That sound repeats itself again and again in my mind. I remember a drawn sword, its metal reflecting the firelight and of feeling no fear. I broke its arm in hate, in anger, for the memory of Jarin, who lay dead now in a grassy field. It was over and the bodies of three creatures lay strewn around.

……………………

So Link sits next to his friend, waiting for the call of morning. But it will not come for him today, only sorrow and regret revealed in the rising sun.


	3. Reborn in the Ashes

In the light of dawn the village is quiet save the drifting sounds of an ocarina being played badly. The melody stops, repeats itself and seems to struggle to find a rhythm. The notes float out of a blue-roofed house barely touched by the sun`s rays. Inside is Link, with blunt fingers trying to play a most delicate instrument. Suddenly, in frustration, he slams it against the wall, the ocarina shattering into tiny fragments. He gazes around at what was his home for two years and sighs. He picks up a tightly-packed bag, settles it over his shoulders, takes the wood shield and sword from a shelf and walks to the doorway. The sun has just peaked over the woods and a ray strikes the sword in his hands. He cleaned it the best he could, but deep in the cracks is dried blood, a reminder of that dark night. He stores his weapons in the pack finally, shrugging the weight around and thinks of his father`s hut in the deep forest and the peace it might offer.

It is the day after that bright morning when he sat by his slain friend and the village now seems rent by that violence. In his shame he runs, retreating to the forest and what will be his life, free from ever seeing blood fly from his sword again.

The first step falls towards the ladder when, by his head there appears a strange, blue whisp of light. "Hey! Listen!" The voice comes piercingly into Link`s skull, skipping the ears and directly into his mind. "Link! Hey, wait!" A fairy? Here? "Yes," says the voice, "I am your fairy, Link,"

Now link had never seen one nor met anybody in his village who had. They were rumored to exist only in the glens and pools of water deep in the recesses of lost forests. Rumors, myths, devils in small form, but never appearing in the middle of villages. Link raises his hand and swats at it, sending the blue ball of light to the far wall with a thud. "Stupid flying bat," and he starts again to leave. "Link, the pain will not leave you." This stops him "What do you know of it, bug?" The whisp flutters up from the corner and lands on the edge of the table. Its light dims and the figure of a small, angry girl appears. It shoots dagger with its eyes and Link hears "I am your fairy! I know what you think and feel. And that hurt!" There is silence. Link, seeing no harm in apologizing says "I`m sorry but you looked like a bug. Anyway what are you doing? I don`t need a fairy. In fact I am leaving this village, now."

"Hey, listen to what I have to say first. We are creatures of the spirit and empathetic to your kind. I sensed your loss and have come to help. You risk much by running away, not only the security of the village but the denial of the good and just in your nature. Let me help you, I can take you to our fairy mother, who is very wise. She would give you advice. Please, Link, look truly into yourself. Can you run away?" The voice fades from his mind and thinks: "No, I cannot run from the truth, even if it is ugly. "Ok," he says, "I will listen to you. It would be good to leave this village for a while and clear my head. Where is this Fairy Mother?" Link had now climbed down the ladder and was striding across the village green, the fairy flying in his wake. The fairy speaks, saying "well Link, before we go there is something we must do. The great Deku Tree of this village is dying, poisoned by some corruption inside. We must help it before journeying to our Mother."

Link stops in the thick grass on the outskirts of the village and turns, "You want me to do what? You mean I must perform some task before you`re willing to offer aid? Ahhhh, is that how the world works? Nothing freely given, everything traded, measured and weighted on a scale? Oh Fairy! How you remind me of those markets of great cities and how much I hated those men. I begged my father never to take me but he did, saying I must learn of such things." His fists clenched, Link struggles through his words, "I want nothing of deals, under-handed subterfuges and promises made with chains attached." In his anger he takes out a jar and swoops the fairy into it. "Nothing of that world!" And he sets off down an overgrown trail.

…………….

It is evening and the purple and gold of a majestic sunset are lost on a brooding and bereft Link. He is still several days away from the hut he was born in and decides to rest at a nearby lake. It is on a tuft of grass that he chooses to sit, next to a small, placid lake rimmed with white-barked trees. The sky still glows with after-light and he stares into the water. A bubble breaks the water, then two and suddenly Link notices fish, in ones or two`s, bobbing to the surface, dead. All over the lake, dead or dying fish, floating helplessly and staring with glassy eyes. In the gloom of the far side he sees a great stag lying on its side, snout inches from the water, eyes also glazed over. "What?" He starts from the grass and sees a rabbit bound from the bushes, streaks of brown slime leaking from its ears and eyes. It misses a step and falls into the water, sinking into the depths.

There at his side he feels the thump of the fairy as she beats her fists against the glass jar. He pops the lid and she flies out, buzzing around his head in fury. "This Link, is the corruption! Did you think, by denying to help, it would go away? Did you think someone else would come to the rescue? Link, we fairies came to you not because we would weedle and bargain for some deed done. No, we need your help desperately and would gladly help you in any way we could. We would not withhold any aid if you did not help, but it's that help we need that you so desperately need as well. Link! You are losing your justice, that sense of what's right and good. In running you deny what you feel is right and will spend your days in regret and spite. Instead, help us!"

For the second time in his life, as much as it hurt himself to do it, Link sees the consequences of his actions truthfully. His desire to take the easier road had twice cost the world in pain. He looks around, at the death of these animals, at the path beyond the lake that would lead to his hut, and finally, back down the way he had come. Link thinks of his father and the determination on his face as he left his only son. "What good would there be in the world if there were no good people to stand up for it?" Voiced to the open sky, to the unknown and unpredictable world, to his father standing behind him in his memories, voiced to himself. "Ok, I`ll help you, fairy. Where do we start.?"

The little fairy rises off the grass, stares him in the eyes for a moment then speaks, "To the Great Deku tree where, maybe, we can still help."

…………………..

The next day, in the clearing east of the village the Great Deku tree is withered, cracked and oozing black slime from huge holes in its upper reaches. Crows circle far overhead and when Link wonders why, the fairy tells him to look closer. Around the base of the large tree are the bodies of several villagers surrounded by scores of mutated creatures; plants with mouths full of razor-sharp teeth. "It`s too late! The tree has been corrupted and spreads a malignant will into every life nearby. Look, it continues." Every minute more plant heads spring out of the ground, converging on the base of the large tree.

Link, feeling the weight of those deaths on his head, thinks of nothing as he rushes those plants with his wooden sword drawn. It is clumsy and dangerous work, but Link taunts the plants and after they have lunged he hacks them off with cuts honed long on blades of grass. They die, withering to brown husks and then to ash before blowing away on the breeze. And Link stands finally at the trunk of the tree and looks up, at generations of life that have stood before this towering giant, at the source of spirit and peace for this entire forest. That it should die because of his anger and carelessness and by the some unknown enemy enrages him. By the body of a villager is a still-burning torch and Link, in a fit of rage, hurls it into one great crack. It flames to life and consumes the corruption, blazing so brightly that those in the village rush over to witness this second sun.

……………….

On his knees for hours, Link watches the embers turn cool and the mass of gray fall to ashes. The villagers stand at a distance, both from him and the remains of the tree. The fairy still hovers behind Link`s shoulder. "Oh, if only I had acted the moment I heard!" There are tears on his face and he pounds the ground. He scoots closer to the ash pile and digs in, sifting the ash. His tears fall to the ground and he presses his hands deep into the hole that was home of the great tree. He sits back and looks up at the sky, blue, so blue. "Look!" says the fairy. Down he looks and there, in the midst of ashen nothing grows a single shoot of green. The fairy bobs up and down excitedly, "Link, it is a seed! The tree will survive! It was your touch, your honest emotion for its loss. What power you have." "I don`t know. I don`t think I did anything. Maybe it was the forest restoring itself?" But Links knows what he felt at that moment when reaching deep into the soil, of being committed finally to what he knew was right; to standing up to those things in the world that rode over all that was good. He had felt a tingle of power reach into the earth and blossom.

"I guess it will grow again. And this time I can protect it." Link stands up, straight and tall. One of the villagers, Dareck of the once peaceful times, comes to stand at his side and said, "Someone will need to get word of this to the Queen. They must know that our woods are being infected by something evil." Link sensed that in part they wanted him to leave the village, but he was not hurt. He was not content any more to remain inside the rim of a small forest and wanted to see the world. So to Dareck he says, "I`ll take word to the castle. I`ll leave this evening." The villagers slowly fade back to their homes in the trees and Link is left with the fairy, looking out over the small, beautiful shoot steadily growing bigger and taller. "By the way, fairy, what`s your name?"

"Navi, and if we are to travel together I prefer to ride on shoulders rather than in the confines of glass jars." Link cannot tell if she is joking. "Ok, ok, no more glass jars." She buzzes around his head, touching his nose before landing softly on his shoulder. "That`s good," she says, "So shall we journey to the fairy Mother for advice?"

Link looks up at the sky, at the forest, at all that was familiar. "To the castle first to get word. Then I`d be happy to travel to this fairy den." For the first time since the death of his friend, a smile creeps across his face and he stretches his hand out towards the growing seed, thinking of life, renewed hope and second chances.

And there, on the back of his outstretched hand, appears three triangles, glowing in the sun.


	4. A Dream of a Princess

A small figure in the window of a monstrous castle bends her face to her cupped hands and whispers "Find help." She opens her hands wide and out flies a dove, flapping away into the dark sky. The figure and castle grow smaller as the bird races across silent plains of grass and over wide stretches of river that slide on dully without the moon`s light. Clouds grow thick; gray and full, and the bird, a small speck of white, struggles against increasing winds. After a long period it tops the great trees of the old forest of Kokiri Village and circles overhead several times. It makes one last swoop up, and in the pause before gravity pulls it downward a small gold pendant inset with a red jewel becomes clear to see on its neck.

Down it plunges, spiraling through leaves and branches to stop finally on a large rock. Beneath it and to the side of a fire simmering with embers is Link, wrapped deeply in a green blanket. The bird hops down next to the boy and snuggles into the folds of the blanket. And still Link dreams….

Link is in his hut, a candle flickering and playing through the _Melody of the Forest_ on his piano. There is the impression of a warm wave washing over him and Link now stands waist deep in prairie grass next to a river that winds far out of sight. Across it he can barely make out the dim outlines of a stone wall. "Very real," he thinks, but happy to go along with it as all dreamers are, content in the images passing along before them. A wind blows across the dried grass; an ocean breathing and heaving. Suddenly a bolt of lighting stabs out of the skies to strike the base of the stone wall. In that brief period of illumination Link sees he is before the massive castle of Hyrule, ramparts upon towers upon bridges; so huge that the very top is shrouded in hazy clouds. A thousand windows, each a detailed scene of some lost history, stand dark and cold as if all the inhabitants slumber peacefully.

From the lighting strike a small brush fire now burns at base of the wall, giving Link enough light to see a long, square drawbridge start to fall directly upon him. "What!" and he jumps back, falling onto a paved path going north. The wood planks thud down and dust rises up. "Achoo," sneezes Link, who is surprised at the vividness of this dream. Over the wall and within the castle echoes a deep and bellowing horn, as if some beast were issuing a call of warning before charging forth. Getting up and dusting himself off Link sees his shadow across the paving stones and looks up. The moon has come out and it is full and ripe, shining into this strange scene with full radiance.

The sound of hooves striking hard rock bring Link around towards the archway and so is there to witness the racing horse that springs from the castle. A tall and bulky figure sits atop it, clothed in blue and white, whipping the horse hard. She looks like a woman but with such a hard, lean face that Link wonders. He jumps aside as the horse passes, the woman giving him no attention. That`s when he realizes there is another person behind the woman.

……………

Time slows as it must for those great moments in the life of an individual, when one knows unfailingly that here is one who must burn brightly in tandem; one, where at first sight the knowledge of love, fate and some eternal link between comes hurtling into the mind through the force of intertwined destiny.

…………….

Link meet the eyes of the young girl, wide with intense concentration. She in turn meets his and a look of surprise blossoms suddenly. Though she wears the clothes of a rider and sits behind that austere woman, Link cannot help but see this young girl with regal eyes sitting up high and commanding. He thinks it is the kind of woman men would die for and live to love by the rumors and myths of thousand tales. But she is gone and he is left staring at the ass of a horse. Before the two figure fade he sees the girl drop something blue into the river below.

"The wonder of this dream is so amazing", thinks Link, a smile on his face, so caught up in the mysterious girl that he misses the second rider appearing in the archway. The thundering horse bears down on Link and a grim-faced man sits astride. The man`s red hair flairs wildly behind him and he wears the thick armor of a warrior. He gaze never leaves Link for a second. Link, seeing this racing horse, feels a bit of fear for the first time and reaches for a sword that is not there. The horse stops before him and rears overhead, threatening to crush Link beneath it. "Boy! What are you doing here!" A command, a guttural threat of violence. The man is full of menace and threatening gestures. He turns his head towards the retreating horse and growls. His horse, sensing the man`s mood prances around, a sword and mace hanging on the harness clanging loudly.

Link cannot speak. He sees the corruption of the Great Deku Tree in his mind and feels the same taint here in this man. "Boy! Who are you?" This time the man peers closer at Link, sensing something of him. The man sniffs, a feral gesture fitting his character. He clenches his hand into a claw and raises it towards Link. Light glows within his hand, slowly, then spiraling into a red glare of intense color. Leaning way back, the man lifts and throws this ball of light at Link. The last Link sees is the man`s sneer; pointed teeth and lifted lips, and a gleam of malice in his eyes.

The fire has cooled, yet Link awakes abruptly, coated in sweat. A bird flies away, startling Navi awake, who had been curled up on a bed of flowers. Link winces at some pain and fingers his chest where the man had hurled that ball of light. It is tender but bears no mark. "Was it a dream," he wonders aloud to the tall trees. That girl! Her face is still clear in Link`s memory, and he wonders of the significance of this dream when he is just now venturing closer to Hyrule Castle.

Under his traveling gloves there is a sudden, stabbing pain as if a bit of lava had coated his hand. He whips the gloves off and there on his right hand is the Triforce symbol, gleaming brightly. That is what Navi sees as she awakes; a boy in the pre-dawn darkness, standing up against a sky that has cleared and the pin-points of a million stars stand as a backdrop. His hand is raised, stretching out to those stars and the glowing symbol shines brighter than the night. "Why?" he is screaming, "Why?" And Navi can only watch as Link brings his hand down and clutches it tight, and she thinks "the glow of dawn will shed no answers this morning."


	5. Malon, Love and a Blackened Room

The two of them lay in green grass under an inverted bowl of stars. The moon, through the surrounding fence, is pale and unblinking, casting down illuminating light on a warm night. A young voice, full of curiosity speaks softly into the summer air, "Link, what do you know of love?"

"Love, huh?" And Link looks over at Malon, his young friend of past years, looking so much like a tomboy with her ranch clothes and close-cropped hair. But, oh, those eyes, so similar to the young girl he had once picked flowers with. "Love? I am too young for love. The world is so large and I have so much to see. How can I love one girl? Besides, my father told me once that with love comes pain; life can only hold so much passion before erupting in anguish. "

Oh Link, you`re so serious!" and she laughs, a lyrical melody of a river coursing over wet stones on a spring day. "No, Link. That is your love," and she points to his head. Malon sits up, the bandana in her hair rising and falling in the slight wind. She spread her arms and laughs, "love of the night sky when the stars outnumber the heads of grass; love for my father when he laughs and lifts me up above his head and whirls me around; love for my horses at how silly they are yet so completely serious, like you! Love for this ranch here, for the milk and bread we produce; love for all the quiet days under the shade of our ranch, cool and serene; and Link, love for love, for the future boys that I will fall in love with." Down she falls again, onto the grass and shrieks for joy at this wild outburst. "That, Link, is what I know of love."

Link cannot help but grin at this country girl who knows nothing yet of death and loss and bloody nights; still in possession of her youthful innocence and still able to see the magical in what Link`s see as harsh and real. Yes, he admits, there is a very real attraction in this girl. Suddenly he feels a very real and wet tongue caress his face. "ahhh!"

"Epona, there you are!" Up jumps Malon to grab the white mane of a pony that continues to investigate Link`s face. "I guess you haven't met Epona yet, huh? Born a few months past and already running fast. You never washed your face did you?" "Guess not, can I pet her?" And Link starts to move his hand towards Epona`s nose. Malon hits his hand away as Epona takes a bite at his fingers. "Watch out for her, she won`t let anybody but me take care of her." Malon soothes the animal, running her hands down Epona`s face and scratching the underside of her jaw while whistling something underneath her breath. "Well Link, I`m glad you stopped by for the night. Talon will be disappointed that he missed you, but he had duties up at the castle. Dinner should be ready soon, let's head inside and eat!"

…………………

The gate of the ranch thuds into place and Malon waves from the top as Link starts down the dusty path towards the castle. "Bye! Don`t forget; if you see my father tell him he`s late and I`ll be angry."

The day is bright and blue, cloudless with a promise of the heat to come. The path winds through the tall stalks of wild wheat and far off Link can make out the spires of Hyrule Castle poking above the horizon. Link starts to whistle the tune he heard at the ranch, kicking at rocks and stepping around the snapping plants that dot the wilder areas. "I`m doing it," he thinks, finally getting out of the forest and seeing the world. Already he can feel a particular freedom he never felt within the blanketing view of endless trees. "Maybe after I visit the Fairy Mother I should see the water kingdom or the people of Fire Mountain." The feel of his feet wandering over the road, the wind blowing across his face, the pure air to breath and room to truly ponder over the possibilities of the future in his mind; "this," he thinks, "this is the path of an adventurer."

Near the castle he comes across a flat rock and decides to rest before venturing inside and all that is the roiling mass of merchants and urban dwellers. Link plucks a yellow flower next to his boot, imagining some young girl to give it to. He laughs then at the thought of some maiden to love and throws the flower into the nearby, flowing river. Suddenly Link is plunging into the river, head in the cold water, heart beating in surprise. There! He drags himself up onto the grass and the bright, noonday sun. In his hand is a small, blue object, half-remembered from some lost dream, an ocarina! "What! I dreamed this! I saw a girl throw this away, but it was a dream. Wasn`t it?" But as much as he thinks about it he can come to no conclusion. So he stores it away in his pack.

It is the smell he notices first, the smell of a hundred foreign cuisines mixed with the potions and powders of a thousand street vendors hawking their fares. The great oak doors of Hyrule Castle come into view and through them Link hears the roars of caged wolves and wild bears, the sing-song voices of bards selling their tales and pops and bangs of wizards playing to the ignorant crowds. At such opposites with the golden, waving oceans of grass and the silence of the forests that Link pauses at the gate, a little afraid to venture in.

"Boy," says a harsh voice, "you going in or out?" Link looks up to a skinny, old man in dingy armor. "Umm, in I guess. Say, where would I go to bring a message for the Queen?" The old guard laughs, wheezy and hard. "Boy you ain`t seeing no Queen or anybody. Words in from the top, Courts closed today." "Well I must get word to somebody. Thanks for your great help." Link strides in between the massive doors, fists clenched a little at the crowds of people and overwhelming pulse of new experiences.

Hyrule Marketplace extends from the walls proper inward for three city blocks, the inhabitants allowed the right to dwell, sell and live; under the protection of the city as long as the taxes remain paid. Link has heard that no fewer than 15 different nations exist in sociable harmony within these walls, nations that would be tearing at each others throats on some distant battlefield. So he wanders the shops and stalls, amazed at the sheer amount of items. A bright, yellow object catches his eye; a boomerang with ends coated in sharp metal. "How much for this," he asks of the sallow-faced fat merchant.

"Well this fine weapon is only 500 rupees, once owned by a Gerudo prince in the second reign of our…." But he catches a look at Link; at his thin, green garments and young face. "75 rupees and don`t mention where you got it." "Deal," says Link, fishing out three fish bones worth of rupees, exchangeable at the local Hyrule Bank Exchange. He fingers the boomerang, hefting its weight and imagining throwing it at those pesky owls that keep buzzing his head in the prairie. "By the way, how might I get to the castle?"

……………….

Turned away at every turn: for two days Link had tried every avenue of office to pass word along of Kokiri Village`s trouble. Officials had snubbed him, lied to him and ignored him at every door he had tried. Enough! He would try the only source left, the princess. Rumored to be shut in her room for fear of a virulent flu going around she was most likely to hear out Link`s message. And Zelda! The name of the old goddess, and more, of the once legendary Queen! How fitting to seek help from a princess bearing so regal a name.

Link had hid his sword and shield, electing to quietly penetrate the gardens and compounds of the princess unhindered. He breathed slowly now, deep in the bushes of Fiaca plant, waiting for a guard to pass. There! He emerges from the bush and climbs the statue of Zephyr "_Defeating the Godless"_ and jumps off the top onto a balcony. The years climbing trees come in handy as he runs along thin balconies and jumps stone ledges between rooms. At the wall of Zelda`s courtyard he pauses, looking at the garden. It is organized and peaceful; a small stone patio lies in the center with a curious design inlaid. "Three triangles? A golden mountain? What is that?" Link wanders at the design, it seems eerily familiar but he can't quite place it. Forgetting it, he approaches a window and looks within.

Link cannot believe the violence within. Blackened walls and burnt carpet. The desk and shelves of books lie guttered in ruin. The stone walls bear the scorch marks of unleashed fury and they run along the ceiling, floor and around the window Link peers in. "What happened here? Is this Zelda`s room?" So he climbs into the room looking for any sign of life. The absence of a weapon at his side makes him wish for his sword.

In the drawer of a nearly destroyed desk he finds a few pages of intact paper. Bringing it to the light of the open window he reads it:

"_Dear Diary, _

_On the second day of the 16__th__ summer of my life I find myself and my kingdom threatened. I have, of late, been visited by dreams of despairing nature, full of evil tidings and threatening shadows. They seem to be the foretelling of future events as I hear word from my maid that the Gerudo of the East advance now outside their domain. A man has arisen out of their ranks, intelligent and quick to vicious wrath, he conquers the outlying villages of our allies. I have fear, diary, fear of this new threat, fear of our lax into peaceful slumber and fear that we have no champions to rise against this man of the East. The Triforce on my hand burns brighter every night, and I fear to think of what it means. The secret protectors of my lineage seek to carry me out of this castle, away from the growing presence of evil. But my people! What of them? A princess cannot run! Who will be their defender and guardian against their injustices? Oh diary, I am so afraid of these dreams and the talk of my guards. I will cast the one spell left to me from my mother and seek help, if any, from those still hidden in the forests of our magical lands. But, oh how it burns, this mark on my hand! Even in sketching it on this paper, still it stands brightly in my mind! Oh, diary, that sound; like some great horn of a beast born from the depths of nightmares! _

There on the paper, in ink, stands the very same symbol drawn upon Link`s hand, the Triforce! "What is this? My father spoke of the same symbol appearing on the Queen`s hand after a vision! Could it be related? Why does it appear on my hand? Was that dream real and the girl Zelda herself?"

These questions fill his mind to bursting. He lets the papers drift down to the ground and pulls of his gloves. The tattoo is there, barely glowing but visible. It matches the scribble from Zelda and Link suddenly feels a grave responsibility, as if fate has, without asking, written his very destiny out for him. "Damn, what do I do? Damn, damn." And the room whirls; dreams, half-remembered nights and repressed memories combining to overwhelm Link`s thoughts. And before he passes out he sees a very odd sight; a small, black-haired girl clothed in the Kokiri colors advancing on him with a worried look.


	6. Link visits the fairy mother

_Author`s Note: I don`t know, I seem to dig myself deeper every time I write a new chapter. This one was harder to write, what exactly is a fairy mother and whats her angle on helping link? Im also slowly working towards Links understanding of this seemingly set fate for him. The Triforce explanation is coming soon I think, a story or perhaps a chapter done on Gannons rise to power. See, digging myself deeper! Ahh anyway, enjoy. _

* * *

Link trails his hand along crumbling rock, following the cliffs that stretch south from the castle. Across the plains, west, the sun is a hazy globe of gold, spreading its molten fire across the grasses, creeks and occasional white flower. It is beautiful, and for some reason he feels drawn to these empty plains, as if he never lived amongst the tall and cool trees of Kokiri Forest. The sun is slowly dying the death of some roaring god, sending tendrils of color shooting off into the darkening sky.

An abrupt wolf`s howl brings Link out of simple dreams and the black room, diary and strange, blue ocarina come flooding into his mind. So many unanswered questions!

"That's why we`re going to the Fairy Mother`s Pool. She`ll definitely help you." The small, blue light of Navi comes floating around a corner of rock. "Sorry I left you to the city, Link. Fairies don`t do so well amongst the minds of so many people. Anyway the entrance is right around here."

In the darkening night Link`s trailing hand finds sudden air and, staring hard, he can make out a faint glow many yards off. "A cave! Navi I expected some grand palace." "Wait and see," she says slyly.

Into the cave they go, the small light of Navi revealing rough stone covered with thousands of looping, white lines. "That is our language," says Navi, "it is not read but lived, through memory. Each loop is the life of a fairy, written by the magic of our race. Someday I may share some with you."

Deeper they go and Link can now make out a faint sparkling, as if made by a pool of crystals. Suddenly all is white light and he can barely see. His ears catch the sounds of a harp and faint laughter. Then his eyesight returns and he thinks, "If I have seen the corruption that is pure malice and if I have seen the towns and cities where men fight on the borders of good and evil; then here, before my eyes is what is eternally just and right." Before him is no cavern but a galaxy. Fairies swarm in countless thousands, their twinkling lights dwindling off far into the distance. They chase other, looping and twisting and even falling through air, like a language of innocent play lost to people. Overhead and all around stretches a night sky, but it is not, thinks Link; like a tree is not a forest. Giant moons and strange planets fill portions of the ceiling and even shooting stars careen across the heavens. Star shine fills the air, giving everything a silver sheen.

Smooth tiles stretch out under Link`s feet, surrounding a large pool of shimmering water. Elegant columns of white rock that ring the pool seem in turn to support the sky. It is all very peaceful and Link feels the weight of worry drop off for the first time in weeks. "Come on!" Navi tugs at his tunic and Link walks into the waters of the pool. Such peace! Not only does he feel strong and rested now but the future seems so clear, like Link could stretch out a finger and touch moments months and years from now.

"Careful, the future does not tolerate the touch of one so green." The voice comes laughing up from a swirling cloud of color which comes together in the shape of a woman. But her face drops Link to his knees, suddenly aware he is in the presence of something wholly unknowable and powerful. Her face is angular and stern, possessing the subtle lines of some vengeful warrior. Her eyes shine with the stuff of galaxies; all swirling lights and shifting colors. But they clear and instead, the most warm and shining radiance gleams out at Link.

"Navi, I see you have brought me one who`s destiny is bright but strangled. It is hard to see where he may go. Link! Come here!" A command that brings him to his feet and at her side. "Walk with me, Link, and I will tell you a story." He takes the Fairy Mother`s hand and they step outside the pool. Navi floats in place and watches them walk off into the starry distance.

The tiles end and still they walk. Under his feet Link can see billions of stars and more wonders than he cares to think about. All around stretches the galaxy and it is only the Fairies' hand that keeps Link grounded. "Let's stop here," and they sit down on seemingly nothing, pinpricks of light visible through Link`s crossed legs.

"This is my home, Link and though you may walk the dirt and grasses of Hyrule, I wander the stars and infinite distances you cannot imagine. I exist outside time and have seen this world explode into being and witnessed its crumbling ruin. I have seen countless versions of this galaxy turn and change, but it is time, endlessly branching, hard to predict. And for all the beauties of it all I keep returning here, for this world is my favorite, the most promising of life. And I envy you Link, for I cannot leave this cave and walk among the creatures and see a sun set in natural time. So I send out my children from time to time to watch and report. And what they have seen recently threatens my hopes for this future." She sighs and leans back on her hands, a very real gesture for so awesome a being.

"There is a threat. A man from the dry deserts of the east rises with an army. Were that the only problem I would not worry. But this man possesses a tattoo, three golden triangles that grant him a measure of unnatural power. You have seen it manifested in the Great Deku tree`s fall, and in the growing anxiety among many peoples of your cities. This tattoo is unknown to me and I cannot see how he draws this power."

She reaches across and grabs Link`s hand suddenly, and a small fire of pain coats his hand. "Link, this tattoo is the same. Why you have it I don`t know. Perhaps it is from beings beyond my understanding, picking pawns to control in this world`s fate. What I can do is help you unlock your powers."

The fairies` eyes cloud over and the black of a void shines forth. A green fire bursts from Link`s hand and runs along his arm and swirls around his body. It is cool to the touch and feels somehow familiar. "This is the beginnings of your power. You must find others who can help you unlock it further. Come; let us walk back to Navi."

………………

Navi sees Link come back through the mass of fairies, looking strangely at his hand and frowning as if deep in thought. The fairy Mother returns to the center of the pool and faces Link. "What I have to say is not easy. This man grows stronger every day; soon he will sweep over Hyrule. You must stop him. I cannot ask you nor command you. It must be your decision, given the knowledge and tools you now have. It is an unfair responsibility, but a very real one nonetheless. But you do not owe me an answer; I have only given you a direction to choose."

And Link thinks of the dead villagers he has seen and of a dream of a man on a high horse that sneered and threw fire. Of a frightened girl that could be a fleeing princess in trouble. His hand drifts to his sword handle, touching it softly. Again he feels the weight of his young friend`s death, a weight he never wants to feel again. "What good would there be in the world if nobody stood up to fight for it?" A whisper from Link, and yet the Fairy Mother smiles and says "Exactly."

………………….

The last glow of the sun has faded when Link steps out, not surprised at all to find no time has passed while he was inside. He pulls out a glittering crystal in the shape of a star. "Well Navi? Your mother suggested seeking out other spirits for help, and showing them this crystal. Where should we go first?"

"Well, either Fire Mountain or the ancient Temple of the Forest. They both contain spirits of old; ones that could help strengthen your magic." Navi is finally happy to get started on the real quest, one her mother gave her so long ago. But she feels slightly wrong in trying to maneuver this boy towards such an overwhelming evil. He is so young and lacking so much experience.

But she could not see Link`s eyes and were she to look into them, oh the better she would feel. There is youth in his face, yes, but in his eyes is the flash of commitment and the particular freedom it brings. Committed to a fight, committed to the side of good, committed to that young girl. He would try; explore every option and pursue every fight to the last. And if not, at least he would go down with the knowledge that he had tried.

"Hey Navi, can you whistle? Let me teach you a song." And they continue to walk in the bright light of the moon, a youth whistling a happy tune and a ball of light dancing about his head.


	7. Eyes of Red and Gold

It is the third day out from Hyrule Plains, deep in folded mountains on the shoulders of the world when Link notices he is being followed. On a ridge to the north a small speck of white has been paralleling them for the last day and a half. "Look Link! There, where those two ridges meet. If we hurry we could ambush him." This is from Navi who rides in his hat. Link shields his eyes and says "And figure out if they`re peaceful or not."

It is twilight and the skies echo with a dark purple as Link shivers in the lowering temperature. He and Navi have hidden in a small bowl of rocky gravel next to the trail proper. Link lies on his back listening for any sound of footsteps and gazes out from the high slopes at the distant Fire Mountain. It is a glaring, red eye tonight, leaking rivers of red tears. "I`ll be there soon," he thinks.

The sound of footsteps coming up the trail brings Link alert and ready. His breath grows slow and calm and his hand rests loosely on his sword. Now! And he springs up on the path expecting a startled figure. But, instead, there is just the empty night and Link whips his head around, frantically searching. He feels a very cold sensation on his neck and looks down to find a metal sword pressed to his neck. A cold, high voice rings out, "And you`re supposed to be the one? Ha! Can`t even get the drop on lonely me."

Navi, silently fluttering above, drops down and flares a brilliant blue directly in front of the figure`s eyes. Link drops, pivots and dives for the assailant. They roll together over the rough ground and slam against a large boulder. "Ugh!" A very feminine grunt escapes from underneath Link and he opens his eyes to see a black-haired young girl about his age staring back angrily. Her sword lies on the ground ten feet away and Link holds her arms down tightly. "Who are you," he yells, pushing her into the rock. In this sudden anger the tattoo on his arm glows and a green fire engulfs his hand, burning into the arm of the girl.

A surprised Link jumps back, the fire going out and the girl clutching her arm. Link runs back and grabs the sword from the ground and holds it pointed at the girl. "Sorry for that. I can`t seem to control it yet. Navi, can you shed some more light?" Navi glows a bit brighter and the girl becomes clearer. Wearing a white and blue costume of wrapped cloth, she has long black hair and a scar running vertically over one eye. Upon her chest, worked in golden thread, is a single eye dripping a tear. She sits up against the rock, moving slowly and looking hurt. "A fairy! She didn`t tell me about a fairy! Doesn`t matter I guess. Hey you, boy, give me back my sword, I`m not looking for a fight." So saying, she holds out her hand expectantly.

Who is this girl! "No way, I`m keeping this after you attacked me. But listen let's move out of the open wind and into a small depression nearby. You look hurt and I could use a fire." Link turns away and starts downhill and a second later the girl follows. Even with a fire going she sits just outside the firelight, watching Link with a hateful glare. "I`m Kylia and I have a message for you, the bearer of the Triforce tattoo. My clan harbors a certain person who also bears the same mark. She bade us to find you in these mountains and say this, "_Hope is the dream of men and women fully awake. Your dream was real. Play the music of my ancestors and we shall meet_." She also told me to give you this." Kylia reaches into the folds of her wrap and brings out a small metal pendant. Link takes it, and in the firelight opens his hand. "This is the Royal Hyrule crest! Who is this that gave it to you?"

"I will not tell you. We of the Sheikah have honor you know. I may be young but I am not naïve. Why does she trust you so much? We may be few in number but we are strong. Why are we not enough to protect her?" Kylia, speaking to herself, grows angrier, forgetting Link. "She comes in the night, riding hard with her mai-," she stops, perhaps realizing who she is talking about.

Link sees her rub her ribs and thinks he will get no sleep this night watching her. "What is your clan? I have never heard of them." Kylia reaches to adjust her boots, "we stand behind the curtains of the world; watching, influencing, acting at certain times. Every time a dagger cuts the strings of some great nation, we are the whisper of wind in the night that threw it. We are the silent, the hidden and the so very old." Her hand suddenly whips up towards the fire and there is a loud bang and smoke fills the small depression. When Link clears his eyes the firelight shines only on him and he can hear the far-off tumble of rocks cascading down valley. "I truly attract the strange girls, huh Navi. Well, at least I can sleep tonight. But that message?"

He thinks about this until he falls asleep; runs through the waking-dream he had while he climbs steep crags and crosses patches of snow, getting ever closer to Fire Mountain. Two days pass and he stands on a shelf of jutting-rock, the slopes of Fire Mountain directly opposite. It is morning and the sun is still hidden behind the smoking top of the mountain. The shade is cool and he rests before starting the final climb to the summit and the crater of what must be red lava. It clicks then; the blue ocarina, the blackened room of a princess, the message and the haunting melody every child learns. He takes off his shield, stabs the metal sword deep into the volcanic soil and hangs his pack on the pommel. He reaches deep in the pack and pulls out the blue ocarina and looks at it. Painted the blue of summer skies it sparkles with the occasional small, red ruby inset. "The Melody of Zelda? It could be." And he put the ocarina to his lips and fumbles a few times before his fingers find the right holes. There are not many notes and it starts simple, rising and falling like a summer breeze. But it turns suddenly, like life, into an ascending melody of complex harmony. Still Link continues to puff into it and his fingers remember the tune his father taught him so long ago.

The song ends and he lowers the ocarina, but strangely he still hears the tune softly, echoing in the background. A scent of sweet flowers and perfumed air swirl around him and suddenly, before him, the face of a young girl with piercing eyes appears. She stands before an open window of stone and looks weary and tired. But she looks up and their eyes meet for a second time. "You!" says this strange girl. She holds up her hand and the triangles glow out through the vision. Link holds up his own hand and together they seem to share some deep connection through this sole moment. "You are that girl on the horse. I got your message!" Link can hardly believe it, that same girls stands before him and she is no less beautiful. "Yes," she responds, "and you got my message. I hope Kylia did not hurt you. She is very head-strong."

Link blushes and wishes he wasn`t so young and could be something other than "boy" to her. "No, quite the opposite. But wait, what`s your name? I`m Link."

"Link? A nice name, an apt name, for we are linked in a way. I am called Zelda, though once I was a princess and heir to a throne." There is sadness in her eyes then, some painful memory. "There may not be much time, keep my crest guarded. Some may still recognize it among this kingdom and give help. But be careful, there is a man out there; he chases me with hatred and will never give up. His name is-," she looks up and away as the vision disappears.

Links reaches out with his hand as if he can bring her back. "No, Zelda! I have so many questions." It had only been a moment in time but when she turned those eyes upon him the world had stopped. There had been such warmth and strength in that face and more. He thinks that if she had been there in person he would have knelt at her feet and kissed her hand a thousand times. "A princess? Truly, she changes the world just with her presence. Oh!, what has happened to her? Is she ok?" And he grimaces at the pain of not knowing, aware all he can do is press on towards finding further help.

So he stores the ocarina away, shoulders his pack and shield and holds up the sword to the sky. It catches the glint of a sun, newly arisen from behind the volcano and it shines brightly. Link sees his reflection in the metal before putting it away; his blue eyes and tanned face staring defiantly back. "At least I have a good sword now."


	8. Of Spirits and Great Beasts

Link struggles slowly up to stand on the rocky ledge. Summoning courage he yells loud and clear at the circling Wyrm far below. It`s yellow eyes widen in fury and it`s serpentine body arcs upwards, tail pounding on the cavern wall and sending boulders careening off to fall into the lake of lava at the bottom. Link is calm as he takes off his hat and uses it to wipe the sweat free from his eyes; for he must see clearly. His shield falls to the ground; it is cumbersome and he must have both hands free. His boots are kicked off; he must have perfect balance. His pack comes off and hits the ground with a thud; it is heavy and he has far to jump.

Link backs to the rock wall, closes his eyes and thinks of sitting in the sun in green grass of Kokiri Village. His hand grips his sword tight. The roar of the serpent comes echoing up the wall and over the ledge. Eyes fly open as Link runs and leaps out into open air.

……………….

The entrance to the spirit shrine lay to the side of the crater of lava, which was so hot Link could not even approach the lip. It was a magnificent archway decorated with the symbols and images of the Goron People. "Navi, what do you know of these Gorons," Link had asked. Navi had related that they were a primitive people worshipping the spirits of the mountains. They did not believe in the gods of Hyrule and were often hostile towards trade and diplomatic excursions. "Wait a minute! They don`t believe in the Gods and Goddesses? Don`t they know who created the world, who keeps the balance between life and death and all that stuff? How can they worship simple spirits?" Link seemed taken aback by this quandary of the Goron people.

Navi was silent for a time while they ventured into the archway and passed murals and walls covered in ideographs. Finally she said "Link, am I spirit?"

"You`re a fairy. That`s different."

"A fairy is a spirit. Link, there are as many different spirits as races of creatures upon this planet. Is it any reason that some may wish to worship beings that are more real to them than the Gods and Goddesses of myth and legend?" Navi had the tone of one explaining some elementary facts to a simple mind.

Link stopped to touch a large bird statue at the opening of a large anteroom. He finally turned and angrily said to Navi "my father believed all his life in these Gods. I grew up on the deeds of Goddesses and how the world is ordered by the Gods. My father was not wrong."

"Have you ever seen them?" This simple question from Navi.

Link was about to utter something when the bird statue suddenly glowed a bright red and hopped towards him. "What?!" It thudded inches from his feet, cracking the rock underneath. Link jumped back and it jumped towards him, chasing him further into the room. He took a swing at it but the sword just bounced off. He ran back for the archway outside but a door slammed shut as he reached it. "Damn! What do I do?" He dodged it again and retreated under the heavy tread of the statue. He tripped against a chipped rock and lay sprawled as the statue came closer. It leaped forward and landed just as Link managed to roll aside. The floor gave way under the weight of the statue`s landing and they tumbled together downward.

Through the hole a loud voice called out "Navi, I need a light!" Navi sped through the hole and found Link battered but unhurt. The statue had broken in the fall. Link stood up and kicked the broken statue. "Damn, what was that? This shrine is supposed to be sacred, right? Where are the people, where are the spirits?" A shudder suddenly ripped through the mountain, throwing clouds of dust up into the air. Link ran from the small room towards a lighted hall.

"This is madness." He had emerged into a long hall decorated with alcoves, pictures, lovely green and black tile and the scattered accoutrements of holy ceremonies. At the far end sat a large, wooden chest, but between them was mazes of wooden fences, wire mesh, gaping holes in the masonry and the odd roaming slug that spontaneously combusted. Link sat down and studied the whole mess, wondering how to bypass this contraption of death. After a time he rose and said to Navi "I can do this! Get on." Navi tucked into his hat and held on.

Link vaulted the first fence, throwing himself over a large hole that opened up into flowing lava. His hands caught overhead wire and he swung down onto tile to tuck and roll under a whoosh of flame. He came up running and swung his shield underneath as he jumped a group of flaming slugs. Ahead was a large gap spanned only by a thin piece of lumber. "Might as well be a road," said Link, who had grown up running on branches no bigger than a girl`s arm. He found the point of balance and sprinted across; going into a dive as a large fence came crashing down on his heels. "Made it!" Behind him was the maze and ahead a few steps, the chest. He tripped on the first step.

The chest was sturdy and heavy. It creaked as Link struggled to open it. Points of light danced around the lid and when he finally lifted it up a blinding flash of light poured forth. "Must be magic," muttered Link. After so momentous an opening the contents inside were a little disappointing. Link tallied them off, "a dusty, leather book; a statue of some flying creature; a bottle of green liquid and a ruby the size of a bird`s egg. "Some haul," he thought, tucking them all into his pack. Navi flew in from an archway behind Link and said "hey! I think you should come check this out!" They ran through to the next room which flickered with thousands of lit candles. Rows of rough, stone benches gave it the air of being some place for solemn ceremonies. There was a giant altar of stone on the far wall. On it was a carved scene of what must be the Goron people sitting within the belly of an erupting volcano. But the altar was split in two and through the fissure was a smooth hallway of red rock. Link and Navi moved towards it, their shadows flickering out all around them.

Link stopped where the altar was split; the edges were melted as if some great power had blasted through it. He could make out a red glare at the far end. "Some secret meeting place or perhaps where the Goron communed with their spirits?" Link hesitated, unsure of these spirits. Were they friendly? The Ferry Mother had recommended coming here. Shrugging his shoulders he set off down the secret hallway.

It ended and suddenly Link was in a vast, circular cavern, the ceiling lost to blackness above. The floor overflowed with carving of strangely shaped dragons, giant eyes of flame and words which made his head ache. He walked to the center and looked around. "Well, a dead end." There was a shudder. Then a tremor. Finally a roar echoed off the walls, so loud Link dropped to his knees. Before him a giant reptilian head burst from the ground, throwing him down. A long, snake-like body followed and up it flew into the hot air. A Wyrm; all rage and murderous intent; it looked down and opened a fanged mouth. Out roared a heralding cry of death; its breath born of heat and the depths of earth where rock flowed in rivers of red.

It snaked down towards Link who drew his sword and brought it down. It turned and whipped its tail into Link, sending him flying at the wall. He landed with a crushing thud, saved an injury by the shield on his back. He sprang up and ran forward, sword raised again. But the cavern was empty. "Huh, oh crap. Where`d he go!" Link whipped his head all around. He even looked for Navi who sometimes pointed the way to a creature`s weakness. Nowhere. Then he heard that rumbling again. He jumped on his shield, locking his feet in the leather strap. "Oh cr-," and he was airborne, the pressure driving him to hold on to the shield`s sides. The entire floor broke away as Link was driven upward, riding the snout of the great beast. It crashed into the wall and sent Link tumbling to a small ledge of rock. The Wyrm fell back to the lava and circled, looking for Link.

……………….

The beast`s head flashes past, and in freefall Link desperately grabs for its tail. The scales are hot and dry but he cannot get a grip. With all his strength, he grabs for the ball end of the tail with one hand. "Yeaaahhh," a wild scream, as Link swings upwards, grasping the tail for all he`s worth. The Wyrm screams in fury and dives downward, scraping the wall to dislodge this annoying pest on its tail. Both battle furiously as the lake of lava draws closer. Link sees this and brings his sword up and stabs into the meat of the Wyrm`s tail. The scream dislodges bats roosting in caves on the other side of the mountain. But it works and the beast levels off, circling and trying to bite at Link.

He has no boots so he gets up and runs deftly along the tail upward. His eyes are clear of sweat and he can see the thrashing Wyrm`s movements and the gap in its scales behind the head which is a golden glitter. The body thrashes wildly, yet Link bends and leans with a perfect balance. He has no pack to weigh him down and his jump carries him far above the head. There is no shield hindering his hands and he clasps them together around the hilt of the sword and falls towards the neck.

If courage is defined as dispelling fear and doubt in the face of great danger, Link`s courage was anger. It consumed him as he fell; anger at this creature who tried to kill him with no reason, a creature of mindless death and destruction. In this burning fury he feels free to act without fear and without doubt of success. A yell bursts forth from his throat and from his hands a green fire explodes over his sword. It slams into the neck and sticks fast. Link lands with the point thrust downward into the beast`s neck. It screams and rears back. Link twists the sword once, twice and hangs on. With a death cry that brings rocks raining down, it goes limp and falls. Link hangs on and rides the body down into the lava.

The Wyrm hits the lava with a spongy thud. Link unlocks his hands and looks around, stranded in the middle of deadly lava on a sinking Wyrm. He looks up at the rock ledge which is out of reach. "If only I had a rope or some grappling hook. Well, now what?" The answer comes in the form of a bright flash of light and the sound of a rich, metal bell. The beast suddenly starts to decay and the lava slowly solidifies. Great gouts of steam shoot up past Link. Before long Link now stands on brown rock with his sword resting against his side. "Well done, boy. You have freed me from that vile creature." Behind Link is the ghostly form of what he recognizes from the murals to be a Goron. It is short and squat but built powerfully, like its arms could move mountains. But Link can see through it to the far wall.

"I am the Goron Spirit."

Link, still recovering, draws big breaths, "You`re a spirit! But why were you captured in that beast? Where are your people? Oh! I have something I`m supposed to show you." And he looks up at the ledge where all his belongings are. "Damn, how`m I supposed to get up there?"

There is a swirl of light and they are standing on the ledge. "I am the mountain spirit. Inside this volcano I have great powers. As to your questions boy, a man came looking for our treasure. He promised great things to acquire them. But he had the presence of evil and after being turned down cast a curse upon all of us. I was locked into that creature and forced to wreak havoc upon my own home. My people were trapped deep in their own caverns, forced to sit in the dark and know no light."

Link wonders if this evil man is the same Zelda spoke of. But it is not important. Instead he digs in the pack and draws out the crystal of the Fairy Mother. The spirit takes the crystal and it flickers briefly. "So, you are the one. No boy indeed. Do you know what you are involved in? No, probably not, and it is not my place to enlighten you. But there is goodness and courage in you and the trust of a fairy is not lightly given. Here take our treasure." Another swirl of light and they are at the entrance to the shrine and Link can see blue sky through the archway. At his foot is a small chest and inside, a yellow gem glowing with a pulse of blue in its center. Link takes it and for a second he is outside himself; he is the volcano, full of raging fire and cold rock. He is the towering heights and the roots that reach into the dark earth. Then he is back and the gem is simply yellow.

"That is the magic of Fire Mountain, use it wisely. Now I must go and look to my people. Stop by their village, they will thank you most heartily. Goodbye, may you find your way through the streams of time safely." The spirit fades, and all at once there are a thousand sounds of natural order resuming; lava flowing, rocks settling, air currents racing through caverns and creatures returning to their routines.

"Oh, hey spirit! He`s gone. I wanted to ask him something." "What`s that," says navi, emerging from his pack. "I wanted to ask the spirit if he knows of Gods and Goddesses. Maybe I could meet one and ask who should be worshipped? Or which one is right?"

Navi stays silent at this.

Link stores the two gems and thinks of the third one in the forests so far away. He goes to a stone outcrop and climbs it. Far over rippling folds of mountains he can make out the sea of green which is Hyrule and its domains. "I`d better get started." But before he goes he takes out the ocarina and plays Zelda`s Melody. The tune fades but there is no vision of the princess and so Link sets out again on his quest.


	9. Triangles in the Sand

The sounds of music pour through the rooms and caverns of Goron City. The people are celebrating a miraculous event; freedom at the hands of a hero. They gather in the main hall and stamp their feet and sing their songs. "To the hero of Fire Mountain," they call out, rolling around in joyous celebration.

But where is this hero? Only Navi knows and she leaves this wild party and flies down several hallways to a small room where the music is only a muted buzz. Inside a figure sits before a single candle, shadows playing on his face and giving him more years than he has right to. He looks up from a book beneath his hands and says, "Ah Navi. How is the party? Have they stopped chanting my name and tossing each other around?"

Navi lands at the desk and can see a wry smile upon Link`s face. "They are grateful. Don`t you think you should`ve stayed?" Link looks away, "I am no hero, Navi. I did only what was natural and what anybody would`ve done. Besides, the crowds and noise bouncing off the rock walls was a little overwhelming. Anyway-" and he waves the matter aside, "look at this. I`ve been reading this book I found in the mountain shrine. I`m not sure how it came to be in the chest but it's really interesting. Here, let me start at the beginning:

………………

My name is Sa`ri, scribe and historian of the clan Drifting Sands. Today is the third month of the fifteenth year since Ja`el was born, the exact day The Great Howling raged the length of our lands. It was written that even as he was born in the midst of tearing winds, sheltered under the sands in our caves he did not once yell out. Perhaps this is a sign of the boy`s destiny among our tribe. Will he be like past rulers; ruled by responsibility and tradition? Or will he be the one to carry us out into the world, howling and screaming? But that is speculation and this is official record. For we are now traveling to the great keep of stone where all clans will meet and Ja`el will receive his new name. He is anxious yet proud; which is to be expected of one who will soon be our King. Let the law be understood lest any rebel against tradition; _So rare are the men of our race that any born to any clan becomes ruler of all on his fifteenth birthday._ So we come together again into one tribe, the Fangs of the Desert united; or as foreigners call us who cannot pronounce our tongue, "Gerudo."

* * *

Let the moon shine bright upon this record of our King`s ceremony of rebirth. With ten clans camped outside the keep, their leaders and twenty of their best warriors ventured inside to the open-air room of Crowning. When all were seated an ancient woman, our Revered Mother, led Ja`el out into the floors of sand and placed a single sword in his hand. She stepped back onto solid rock and signaled with her head. One by one, the leaders of the clans came at Ja`el with swords, spears and whips. One by one he takes their cuts and slashes. And one by one he disarms them all.

My pride for Ja`el knows no bounds. That he comes from my clan and that we have taught him well how to fight, that is my pride.

There were red streaks all over the sand and Ja`el bled from numerous cuts. But he stood tall and stabbed his sword into the bloody sand. Taking blood from his skin, he strode over to each leader and swiped a finger along their forehead, leaving his mark. All fell to their knees then save the ancient Mother who came forward with a stylus and tattooed the mark of the King upon his shoulder. A great cry echoed up from every mouth in the room, followed by the roar of ten thousand women from every throat in the tribe camped out on the desert.

And there, under a night sky as rich with stars as the desert is in grains of sand, the old woman asked him for a name. Ja`el spoke then, a voice soft at first then rising with confidence until he shouted to the sky. "It came to me in a dream. I shall now and forever be known as Gannondorf."

As a side note, our new King had Ba`en, the leader of our clan killed that night. Of the deed, he said "it is not wise to have two leaders of one clan." Of course there is precedence for such a thing but I suspect our King did not like a woman almost matching him in a swordfight.

* * *

It is now the fifth year since King Gannondorf stood on that bloody sand. He has done well; centralized the clans in organized villages, secured trade with neighboring kingdoms and started the construction of several large shrines in isolated corners of the desert. He rules justly, though if a little heavy-handed. It seems anger comes easier to the men of our race and I wonder if that characteristic makes for an aggressive ruler. It might be argued that had we more men there would be civil wars and no unity among clans. But I argue that with only women to rule we would forever exist in a complacent state of peace, unready for any outside threats. But I, Sa`ri, am the only scholar among my tribe and cannot discuss this with anyone.

Ji`ri, our tribe`s military strategist, came to me and related a most unusual incident she had with our King today

"I came at his bidding, to his table of maps and strategies. He stood over it with his hands on the table and eyes closed. His voice rang out after I had stood there for a time. "Is this all there is, Ji`ri? Sands and endless storms, treaties and talk with weak nations? Why are we in this waste of land? We are great, I am great. What did my fathers and their fathers do with power? Nothing! I sit at the end of a long line of kings and yet what do I have? Sand that sifts away between my fingers. I rule over ten clans and that is it!" I feared he was despairing of his title so I told him of our history and the beauty of the land, of how important he is to our people. Sa`ri, I even told him how important he is to me! But he just went to the window and stared out. On the table he had figures, armies pushing out into all lands. Even Hyrule! Hyrule, how ambitious can his vision be? He spoke suddenly to me, from his place at the window, "Power, Ji`ri, I must have power to reach further into this world. Else why was I born? To sit on a kingdom of sand while my neighbors enjoy the richness we should have? No." He turned to me and I could see stacks and stacks of open books, more than I had ever seen in our tribe. "I am leaving. I will go into the wastes, past the last hut and far beyond distant horizons. I need to think and find an answer. You will tell my people that I go to visit other nations for peace and trade. Am I understood?" I left after that and came here. Sa`ri, I fear he is courting madness in this trip. Will he bring us down with him?"

It is my opinion that Ji`ri is colored by love and King Gannondorf simply seeks a short time of the desert`s solace.

* * *

It had been two years since his disappearance and his return heralded a celebration amongst our people that lasted three straight days. But he is different, distant from his people yet full of energy when he speaks to all the clans. He stands taller now, with new clothes and foreign-looking black armor that he never takes off. The clans come and he speaks of war, of power and glory in the lands beyond the desert. It is a bit unsettling to see my people caught in this fervor. We shall see where this leads us.

Side note: Sometimes King Gannondorf sits in the sand watching the sun set over lands he dreams of owning. I see his gauntleted hand tracing a pattern over and over again. Once I went over after he had left to see what it was. But it was only a simple thing, just three small triangles.

………………….

Link stops reading and looks up. He takes off the glove of his right hand and looks upon it. "Three small triangles," he whispers, eyes wide.


	10. Green Eyes in Endless Forest

_Author`s Note: What if instead of wading through dungeons of enemies to reach the treasure, Link must face an altogether different challenge. What if he had to give up something precious to gain the treasure? This is that story. Enjoy. _

* * *

He comes awake with a throbbing knot of pain beating away at his head. He can`t move and he can`t see; his hands feel bound together and there is the touch of rough cloth over his eyes. The ground is soft and warm; his fingers scratch the surface of woven mats. His breath comes in shuddering gulps with the wave of pain from his head. Slowly sounds filter in as panic subsides; bird`s song, creak of timber, clang of metal and a door opening.

He is suddenly jerked upright by rough hands and pushed against a wall. "Ahh, my head dammit! Who are you," he shouts, but there is only silence. A hand grips his chin as a cold liquid slides down his throat. It tastes of moss and berries. Immediately his head feels better. The blindfold is yanked off and the first thing he sees is wild, green eyes. They are framed by short, copper-colored hair and a mouth that scowls in hate. It is a young woman, not much older than Link, yet when she growls at him he see the ageless mind of an animal.

She slaps him hard and retreats to the corner of the dark room, content to squat and finger the short sword at her side. His questions go unanswered. With eyes free he slowly adjusts to the light and can see the details of the small room. The mats underneath are colorful, woven of gentle images: flowers, trees and butterflies. On the walls are strips of inner bark with drawings on them and several swords on racks. There is a small, carved wolf on the sill of the only window, in front of which hangs a red-dyed cloth. It strikes Link that the room is eerily similar to one of Kokiri Village.

The young woman still squats in the corner but now her head is cocked as if listening to a sound. The door is suddenly thrown open and Link is blinded by the bright light of day. In from the doorway steps a figure of noble cut, his long gray hair and stern face matching the light, blue armor he wears giving him an unquestionable air of authority. He squats down in front of Link and gazes hard into his eyes. There is judgment in his eyes, as if he cares for nothing but the truth. He finally speaks but it is nothing Link understands. Again the man speaks, again Link shakes his head.

"My father asks why you tried to invade our tribe`s shrine?" This from the angry, young woman in the corner. "What? You speak Hyrulean? Why didn`t you answer me before?" Link is a little more than taken aback.

"I can speak your distasteful tongue. Answer my father!" And she takes a step towards Link, drawing her short sword. Link manages to speak, "I came seeking help from the spirit shrine. I did not know it was yours or that it was forbidden to enter. Anyway, who are you people? I`ve heard no rumors of any tribe living this far out." But she does not answer, instead speaking in a foreign tongue to her father. He angrily speaks one word and she translates, "Why did you seek our spirit?" And Link answers, "Hyrule, the ruler of these lands, and its princess are in trouble. An army grows to the far east and an unknown corruption spreads through these lands even now. I came for the spirit`s magic and its seal. Surely you must help! Your land is in danger as well!"

This is all relayed to the man, who then barks out a command. Through the door comes a tall, thin man with the same intense eyes. He hands Link`s pack to the man who now seems some chief or leader and departs. The gray-haired man pulls out the two spirit stones; holding them before Link he speaks, long and quietly. After he is done, he puts them back, gets up and leaves.

The young woman also rises and stands over Link, "You have stolen from the spirits and planned to do so again from our shrine. Our lands are far away from your petty Kings and Queens of Hyrule. We are safe in the wilds of our woods. You will not be given another chance. You are now a prisoner and will remain in the room until my father decides what to do with you." She picks up his pack, walks out and locks the door. Once again Link is left in darkness.

……………….

It is a hard day and night for Link, full of black and despairing thoughts. Every minute he sees his grand quest fade a little more and he groans into the empty room.

The next morning he awakes blindfolded and is bundled into a sling and carried for several hours. Finally rough hands set him on his feet, seize the back of his tunic and whip away the blindfold. Before him lies a drop no man could survive. His toes touch the edge of a cliff that plummets downward so far that Link believes he would have enough breath to curse a dozen times before hitting. From the base of the cliff a carpet of green stretches unbroken to the horizon.

The cold voice of the young woman calls to him, "Death or obedience, stranger! Death, and we let you fall. Obedience, and you will live, bound by your word never to escape on penalty of death. You will learn our ways, our language and you will teach us of the outside world, of new tools and weapons and magic. Link grimaces and thinks "To live and know the world grows darker as I sit by? To be a slave and never see the face of Zelda again?" It is all so distasteful and unimaginable that in a brief moment of weakness and oblivion he leans forward and falls.

A hard jerk and he is caught by his tunic. "So eager for death? It is customary in our tribe for death to be seen out with music and song. We will let you go after it is done." He still faces the void of empty air when the first sounds of drifting notes play out around him. They are the winds whistling through branches, leaves drumming in rain, the creak of trunks in a silent forest and others that fill Link`s mind to bursting. A lilting and pure voice rises into the melody, mixing with notes in an elegant dance. The voice is the sunshine that pierces the maze of leaves and dapples the eye below.

"Life; I am still alive, to breathe and see this life. If all I am to be is a slave, then I will be a slave, but a slave alive and still living, still believing in some hope." Hope, it rings through Link like the music and song. But the melody comes to an end and hands let go of Link`s tunic and he falls. The grass and earth are soft and only his ego is bruised at the thought of almost throwing his life away.

…………………

So his days become busy. He is let out of the single hut and given freedom to roam within the village. They have built small huts both on the ground and attached to large trees with vine and supple, slender branches. They are an agile people, wiry and strong, transitioning quickly between ground and tree. They think nothing of jumping large gaps between huts and when Link wanders the area he sees his guardians circling high up in the crowns of these massive trees. In the mornings he learns their language, a lyrical tongue that sometimes reaches the range of song. In the early light of dawn, when he can see enough to read scratches in dirt the young woman, daughter of the tribe`s chieftain, comes to instruct him. She is often curt and angry at Link though he cannot understand why. She is often his babysitter, accompanying him to meetings with her father and the elders of the village. They demand much him as he struggles to explain his youth and inexperience.

In the afternoons he is tested. Swordfights with skilled warriors, full of tiring attacks and counter-attacks. Endless questions about agriculture, construction of towns and political intrigue. They even make him explain the religions and myths of his lands. The last is difficult for Link; he admits that his knowledge is limited to his father`s tales and certain spirits. There are never any answers from these grim faced men and women.

……………………

"No, that means the green of moss and grass. You must say it like this, which is green, the color of leaves shot through with light." It is his second week since choosing life and still he struggles with every word and wakes up every morning sore and aching. Link raises his hand and says, "Can we talk for a bit? My head hurts with all these words." They are sitting on logs at the edge of the village, looking out on a low hill with a river running around it. "Ahh, we might as well. You will never learn our language."

"How did you learn mine?" Link asks this and secretly hopes she will finally answer his questions after refusing every single day. The woman turns her head away and says "We have tribe members, who in the past have chosen to live outside these forests. I went to their lands as a small child and learned this language. It is required of every chieftain`s heir. What is this Hyrule like? A question for a question right?"

"Hyrule?," and Link thinks for a moment, "There are times in my travels when the plains and mountains are coated in golden light and farmers are out greeting the day and harvesting in a cold dawn. I have come upon the castle of Hyrule at sunset, the thousand glass windows stained a beautiful purple and the lines of brick and mortar so straight and precise; it is our symbol of peace and strength. I have been in the crowded cities full of dust and noise, so many people that one can barely move. And yet the people of Hyrule take pride in their homes and community, they smile at any day`s offerings and often go out of their way to help each other. Even in the most isolated corners; on the ranches and in small towns of the mountains Hyrule is present. It is an idea and a passion. Our rulers have always embodied the best principles and it shows in the lives of the people in the kingdom. We have a saying, "_It is not hard for a flower to be beautiful in a field of a thousand; but it is hard and worthwhile to be so beautiful individually as well._"

Link picked up a flower by his foot and gave this to his instructor as he said this last line. The straight line of her face softens and she smiles. Her green eyes find Links and she says, "We are taught Hyrule is a land of harsh laws and aggressive people. To find it different is surprising." She brushes a curl of copper hair from her eyes. "My name is Lia, daughter of Dassen, who is the chief of our tribe." She stands to leave but Links asks, "What of your tribe and these lands? What are they called?"

She pauses with one hand touching the giant trunk of a tree and says sadly, "that is why you were forbidden to enter our shrine."

Later that night though, for the first time, Lia brings Link his food in the hut and sits silently with him while he eats. There are no other words for him, and when he is done she picks up and leaves. A full moon finds a hole in the forest canopy and shines through the hut`s window, on a Link lost in thought and memory.

……………….

Red and gold drift down and cover the village in an ocean of leaves. It is fall in the great forest that stretches to unknown horizons. It has been two months now and Link has learned much. "Let us see how you fare now," calls out Dassen. Immediately three nimble warriors rush Link. He lets the first slide by as he pivots and plants his wooden sword squarely on the back of the second attacker`s head. The third`s sword slides over his head as Link ducks and jumps back to gain room. "Mud-walkers!" he calls out, a new insult he learned recently. One stabs quickly inward. His sword slides along Link`s as he parries with a wonderful grace and comes out with a slice along the neck and boot to the back of his defeated opponent. The last assumes a solid stance but then whips his sword overhand at Link. The sword bounces off his own and they careen off into the leaves. Hand to hand now and they circle. The warrior dances in on soft feet and throws a foot. It is caught by Link and twisted. The attacker goes flying, sending leaves up in a whirlwind of energy.

"You have improved Link. You would make a good warrior of our tribe." This from Dassen and Link can`t help but wonder what he means. Later, after lunch and language lessons, Lia suddenly and strangely says "Link, can you run like the fleet deer?" Before he can answer she is off through the circling trees and gone from view. Link grins and laughs, "can I run? Hah!" And he gives chase.

They run like wild creatures of the forest. Link follows her slight form through dense lands of ferns and roots, across valleys littered with the bodies of fallen trees, over streams and rocky banks, up cliff faces and down long, winding slopes. They run like that is all they have ever wanted to do; he, to chase and she, to be chased. Scenery whips by like an afterthought and the dangers of falls, trips and loose rocks are forgotten. Link laughs occasionally, at this sudden freedom and the pure rush of energy of pursuing the copper-haired woman through twists and turns. She takes to the branches of high trees and Link scrambles along behind. They cross logs spanning huge chasms with barely a hesitation. Finally Lia stops at the mouth of a small cave and sits to wait for Link.

They sit together on a flat rock and catch their breath. Golden leaves lie all around, coating the ground like a flood of golden coins. "Link, tell me of this Zelda you knew." An odd request from Lia who never touched on this before. Link draws a deep breath and says, "She is beautiful and regal like some untouchable angel, like some symbol of ageless nobility. But at the same time she is so vulnerable and innocent, finding her power in truly trusting others for help. She embodied so much of what I had never known before I saw her. I went to sleep many nights believing that she was a reason to wake up in the morning. But Lia, that world is behind me now. I don`t care to return. I know it was your voice and music that pulled me back from death and for that I owe you everything. I can see the world differently now; the forest breathes and lives just like we do. And Lia, I do owe you everything." Link reaches out for her hand and takes it tightly.

Lia smiles shyly at this and squeezes his hand back in return. They sit hand in hand in silence while leaves continue to drift down. Finally Lia breaks the silence, "Link this is my secret spot. Nobody of my tribe knows of it. It is a gift to you. Also I must be honest. That I learned your tongue from cousins outside our forest is a lie. I was five when I was taken by a raiding party of thieves and criminals. They had been seeking the treasures of this forest and killed my two brothers when they found us wandering far from the village. I spent three months cruelly captive, forced to reveal paths through our lands. They took me with them when nothing of great value could be found. I was traded for meat and wine to a traveling trader and spent five years as a slave with him, going to all the backwater towns and hovels of some distant swamp country. He taught me well though and I made my escape when he was killed over an argument of rupees. It took me another two years to find my way back and my hatred of all outsiders built so that I saw all of you as evil, murderous bastards.

But Link, you have changed my sight. You give me hope that I and my tribe need not be scared of Hyrule and the far lands. For that I thank you." They both smile and Link takes her hand between his and asks, "Would you sing that song again?"

Her voice echoes out of the small grove, soft and muffled by the falling leaves.

……………………..

A few days later Link wakes in a gray dawn and hears a growing din outside the hut. In the fog of morning he thinks he is back in Kokiri village and he will find his childhood friend newly killed. But memory returns and he rises and pushes through to outside. The village is up and circled around someone yelling in the inside. He gets a glimpse of a bloody arm and suddenly he is pushing through the crowd to reach the center. It is Yorell, one of the fastest runners in the tribe and a friend to Lia. She is babbling like a river and Link can barely understand. "What? What happened?" He reaches out to a neighbor and asks again. Everyone is yelling but he catches a few words, "Lia…….hunting……..attack………monsters…….killed." His eyes go wide and he turns away, bursting through the crowd. He stops to grab his sword, straps it on and begins to run. "Hunting? To the north then, towards the cave." It's his only lead and he runs like the fabled horses of Hyrule, his mind roaming far ahead while his body takes to the trail. His feet pump over stumps, fields and hills, and he barely notices the growing light to the west. It`s in a small glade of grass that he finds the first signs of blood. Not far off are the bodies of two of the villagers, cut open and left to die. Link follows the blood on until he stumbles over a body. But it is not of the villagers or any animal. It resembles a person in shape but is large and muscular with the head of a boar. It has been cut and stabbed more than twenty times and yet, even as Link looks, it drags itself forward slowly. Up goes his sword and down into its back. The beast is finally still.

The beaten path and scarlet patches of blood lead straight towards Lia`s secret cave and Link hopes she is there now, hiding from these strange monsters. An hour passes and Link flies onward. Finally he arrives at the cave and calls out her name, "Lia! Lia!" There is no answer so he enters the dark cave. There is blood at the entrance as he walks by. The cave is not deep, perhaps the thirty paces and he finally spots a small, crouched figure. "Lia?" he says approaching slowly. The figure suddenly growls and charges him with sword pointed. Link dodges aside and catches Lia as she falls. She is covered in blood and can barely breathe. "Oh, Lia, what did they do to you."

He lays her to the ground and tries to clean and bandage her wounds. She seems to see Link then and clutches at his arm, "Link! I`m so sorry." "Don`t speak, Lia, save your strength. I`ll go get help," and Link rises to go. But she screams, "Link! They will come back. Those beasts wait for dark and circle the forest. They will come!" Lia faints at the effort of speaking. There is such anger then on Link`s face and he goes to the entrance and listens. "Only the sounds of the forest...but wait." Softly, Link can hear snuffling sounds and the breaking of twigs. It comes from beyond the clearing and he thinks "we`re surrounded." He grabs grass and branches from near the entrance and makes a bed for Lia. He starts a fire and sits thinking and watching the entrance.

"Dassen and the villagers will never find this place before dark. Lia is badly injured, how bad I don`t know. Damn, what can I do? If I break out of here Lia is left to those beasts. If I stay they will overwhelm us in the dark." Link yells out, voicing rage and frustration.

………………..

The light outside the cave grows darker. "Soon" thinks Link. He is sitting by Lia, stroking her forehead with water coming from a crack in the ceiling. She has a fever and sweats and moans, crying out in a frightened voice. Link picks her up in his lap and holds her tight. "Lia, I`m sorry it comes to this. I wish I could have held your hand one more time and told you of your beauty and how I feel for you. You gave me hope when I despaired. Why can`t I give you life now? Oh! Why does tragedy follow every moment of love?" And for the first time since his father stepped out of their house on that starry night Link cries.

The light fades; the shadows of darkness creeping down the walls, slowly falling over the two faces of Link and Lia. Rising, Link grabs four branches entwined with vine and sets them alight. They cast flickering shadow in all directions. Link walks to the entrance and sets them in crevices of rock. They throw circles of red light into the small clearing. It is full of deep pools of dark but no menacing creatures. Link draws his sword, looks up to the night sky, back at Lia and then draws his head back and yells. Loud squeals echo back and slowly they emerge into the torch-light. All bright, yellow eyes and gleaming tusks, they come crunching through the trees and advance on the cave. The metal of their swords and spears shine and they heft them excitedly. Link stands still and ready in a crouch, waiting for the first. One beast comes fast, sword rushing straight down. Link stands aside and stabs into its head. Down it goes and others come.

He clenches his right hand and thinks of boiling fury. A wave of fire shoots out around him and down go five more, withering and turning black. But Link only had one and now he fights; for Lia and for hope that should not die. But over the heads of the pressing monsters he sees more and more; so many that he loses their number in the far shadows.

Lia wakes from her fever and cries out. Link is not there. She staggers up and makes it ten feet before falling. But she can see the entrance now; can see a figure silhouetted in fire, struggling with the rise and fall of a forest of swords. She feels faint again and the last sight she sees is Link, hacking and slashing; his face lit up in grim determination by brief flashes of green fire that throw enemies back.

…………………..

Dassen and his fastest warriors approach the cave near dawn. They call out names but get no answer. They reach the clearing and stop dead. Heaped in front of the entrance is a wall of enemies waist high. The bodies spread out from there, some smashed into trees and some half-burned on the ground. They waste no time and press on, rolling the bodies aside and enter the cave. "Lia!" he calls but no answer. "Link" he calls but all is silent. The rising sun paints the fallen bodies of the beasts in bright light, all blood and gaping wounds. Dassen steps over them as he goes farther in. At the very back a single beast lies dead with a sword sticking straight up from its back. "Here," Dassen calls and rushes to it. Underneath its heavy weight is Link, his hand still clutching the sword that killed the last boar. His body has so many cuts that his tunic is more red than green. A spear head sticks out from his ribs.

Links other hand still holds Lia`s. He had fallen on top of her, protecting her to the last. Dassen bends down and wipes his daughter`s face, "Lia! Can you hear me?"

There is the quiet rush of the cave. Into that silence Lia gasps loudly and opens her eyes. "Father!" And she throws her arms around his neck and hugs him tightly. "Link? What happened to him?" Lia sits up and looks around. She takes in the blood and cuts on his body and tries to rush to his side. Her father catches her as she falls. "Daughter, you must be still." And he pushes her down gently. More warriors show up and he finally bends over Link. "I owe you everything young man. I`m sorry we could never talk together." Suddenly there is a very small rasp of breath and Link is alive! Dassen starts and bends closer. He feels Links chest and suddenly turns to his three of his warriors. "Quick, make a sling. We must get to the shrine.

………………….

There is blackness, and then there is a single star of light. "Link, wake up." Link wakes but only to this stark world. The star sits shining, the only source in this black night. "Where am I?" The star pulses and a voice say`s "You are in the shrine of the forest, my shrine. I am the spirit of these lands and people. You were near death and they brought you here for healing. Do you know why I healed you?

Link can think of no answer. The star answers, "Because your first instinct was for another; for love. In that instant you threw away thoughts for yourself. I could not know that when you walked these paths so long ago. To the people of this forest you were merely an outsider."

It is not just the forest, Link. The world is alive, it breathes as you breathe and feels the pain of living just as you felt it so clearly in the cave. It is true that an evil rises in this age and it already threatens lands far on the peripheral of known lands. Those beasts are evidence that no land is truly safe. My people now realize this and their mistake becomes a rallying call to other tribes in other forests. But Link, a hero is made through choices and you have chosen the lives of others in moments of danger. That is a small part of being a hero, making tough decisions.

Time comes though, Link. A moment is approaching when you must make even tougher choices. I`m sorry to say this but you cannot stay in this wooded world. The world outside awaits you Link, you must depart."

………………

Link wakes for a second time in the middle of a vast chamber of cut stone. The kneeled figures of the forest tribe surround him. Lia is the first to get up and hug him tight. "There can be no thanks enough for what you did. We are eternally linked and if you ever need me, play my song and I shall come. And she kisses him once, long and hard before she turns and runs out through a side arch.

Dassen rises, approaches Link and kneels again. "You have saved my daughter and demonstrated how wrong we were. You are no longer a slave. We stand now awakened to this threat and will prepare. You have an army if ever you need it."

Link rises and looks around at the bowed heads and sighs, "I must leave, right? Lia knew it and you know it. But why don`t I? No, don`t say anything. It is my destiny right?" Link`s shoulders slump and he whispers under his breath, "and never to love."

Dassen holds a pouch and gives it to Link. "This is our heart, the essence of the forest. Take it and never forget what happened." Link opens the pouch and a green gem shines out. The middle burns bright silver and suddenly Link is as wide as the forest and breathes with the leaves and knows the sun soaking into his trunks. His blood is sap and it runs with energy to sit long in peace. But it ends and Link comes back to himself. His things are by the archway and he stuffs the gem in along with the others. "Tell Lia…" and he thinks, "tell her I`ll see her again." But it is not what he wanted to say, those things being lost in that dark cave between the two of them.

He shakes hands with a few of the warriors and finally with Dassen, looking into those hard eyes. "Thank you," he says and Link turns and walks out of the shrine and down the path out of the village, towards his growing destiny.


	11. A Peaceful Interlude

The three gems sit upon the table and flash in the candlelight. Malon reaches out and takes one in her hand, holding it up and admiring the sparkling flame inside. "It has been many months Link, since I saw you. My father and I are always happy to see you, but showing up in the middle of the night, dirty and haggard? What happened and why these three gems Link?" She looks across at a weary young man who sits a little slumped but bright with a smile. He looks older than he is and his eyes seem to stare past her at times to some distant horizon. She wishes he were staying longer and that she might be able to cheer him up.

"Malon! Let him eat! Come boy, have some milk and meat. Don`t worry about her questions, there`s time aplenty for that later." This from Talon who sits at the head of the table, thumping it with his mug at each exclamation. "Listen instead. Let me fill you in on the strange happenings in Hyrule. Why, not last week I passed by a small village on the way to trade our grain. Completely burned! Not a soul left alive! I`ll tell you I hurried by at quite a pace. I heard later it was famous for being host to many learned scholars of the spirit world. Not any more, huh? There`s word too in the marketplace that silk and marble from our neighboring nations have slowed to a dry trickle. Now, I ask you, what could be slowing such a valuable and expensive commodity like that? War, that's what I say, or treason or conspiracy! Hyrule is too dependent on foreign goods, always has been."

"Father, father!" Malon hastily interjects. "War is not always the reason for trade interruption. There may be plague or sickness preventing silk from being imported, or marble may be running dry at the quarries. It is not always the worst possible case. All doom upon the world counts not, as the sun still rises in the morning you know."

"True, my daughter, but it is my job as a man of this world to counter your youthful optimism with learned cynicism, is it not? Now the matter I am concerned about is the disappearance of Princess Zelda and no word from our King and Queen. I and my fellow merchants have petitioned many times for audience but we only hear the same old message, "They are travelling on business." I tell you, with these growing rumors we need the clear guidance of our royalty, not the pale-faced pleasantries of court lackeys!" Talon had risen in his seat and was nearly shouting into the quiet dining room. "Ahhh, but listen to me, going on like I was at some tavern bench. Link, have you had enough? Tell us then of what has happened."

Link sits up and takes a gulp of milk before replying, "It is true. There is a growing threat to Hyrule. I have been journeying to its borders in search for things which might aid us if trouble comes to our lands. Talon, what you tell me sounds right. I have learned that an army lies to the far east, advancing even now. I don`t know more than that but I know we have friends in secret who help us. I-," but Link could not speak of Zelda and her fleeing Hyrule. Talon has many friends and would spread the news, unintentionally or not. Instead he points to the gems and says "These are important to stopping this threat, how I cannot say but I trust that they will. Talon, how will you fare if an army comes against this ranch."

Talon laughs, loud and hearty. "My boy, it will not come to that! Hyrule is the mightiest nation of this realm. Why, we have the biggest army garrisoned by generations of young Hyruleans. This threat will never set foot upon our lands. And if it did, look at my walls! Built by my own hands, ten feet tall and three feet thick! Why, they`d have to have the might of the Triforce to knock my ranch down!"

There, that word! Triforce. It rings some distant memory in Link, something his father once told him as a small child. He rubs the leather glove on his hand and there is a small twinge of pain there. "What do you know of the Triforce?" asks Link. Talon shrugs and says "Triforce? Why it`s just a figure of speech, boy. Like telling small children "go to sleep or the Gerudo will get you." Just fairy tales." But Link pushes further, "and what is the tale of this Triforce? Please, I`m curious."

"Oh, it`s long and tedious, no need to get into it. Heck Malon here could probably recite the children`s chant, all 100 verses of it. Quite boring if you ask me. Let me cut to the quick. Basically the Triforce is an artifact left over by deities who created this world. Supposed to be made of three Qualities; Wisdom, Power and Courage. It was hidden after our world was created but it goes that whoever finds it must be of good will and intention or the artifact will shatter, scattering to three parts. But Link, it is just a parable, teaching us of the importance of right mind, learning and responsibility, only that. Why, if it was me I would prefer the three qualities of Good Ale, a Soft Bed and Plentiful Cows." And he laughs with gusto.

But Link quizzically reaches out and draws a shape in some spilled milk, three triangles interlinked. "Would it look like that?"

Talon looks down and says "Aye, just like that in all the picture books. But listen, enough talk lets finish dinner."

…………………..

Later after Talon goes to bed, Link and Malon grab a cup of heated tea and venture outside. Malon looks up at the sky and leans into Link. "You know, when you were gone I loved to look up into clear night skies like this and imagine where you might be and what you were doing. Is that too fanciful? However far apart we are the stars are the same and we only need look up to be together. Oh Link, you were gone too long and I missed you!"

Link smiles and hugs Malon, "It seems like years since I last saw you. Did you really miss me so much? Don`t you ever get other boys visiting you?"

"Boys? Suitors more like it. Father is constantly trying to arrange a marriage for me, thinking of my future and never of my heart. Sure they are nice and have a mind for the romantic but their eyes are on this land and my father`s business. Uggh lets not talk about huh? Hey, let`s go sit in the field where its most open."

They walk out into the open pasture and sit amidst the munching horses. Link, suddenly remembering his last visit whistles a sweet tune. "Huh? Where did you learn that?" exclaims Malon. Before Link can answer a young horse runs up out of the dark and starts to lick Link`s face. "Hah! Epona cut it out. I learned it from you, Malon, when you whistled it last. Well, she remembers me!" Epona huffs and trots off again to other parts of the field. "That is why I like you Link, you catch things most would miss. But let's be serious for a moment. What have you been up to, really? There is a bit of sadness in your eyes that your smile does not touch. Be honest with me, please."

Link looks down at his steaming mug, takes a sip and looks up at the stars. He thinks "I have always been able to trust her. She deserves the truth as well. So he takes her hand and says "Promise you will keep this between us?" "Link, look at that bright star in the northern sky. It is always present in the early night, burning bright and strong. Let that be our star, for however long we are friends. I will promise to be always as faithful as that star, friends as long as it burns." Link smiles at this passionate outburst by his friend, always so expressive. But it is a promise.

And so he tells her of Zelda and her flight; of this strange link they share and how she inspires him to help save her. He tells her of his journey into the mountains and through the deep forests. He touches on the forest girl he so briefly loved and how he almost died defending her. Malon is silent through this and sheds a few tears when hearing of how spears cut through his ribs. He tells her finally of his father`s midnight departure and of the strange tattoo he had on his hand. "Malon, that tattoo glowed on my father`s hand that night and it drew him out to his death. What of me and my future?" Link takes off his glove and shows Malon the Triforce that glows with a gold halo. "Malon, sometimes I feel afraid that I have some death awaiting me because of this tattoo, that destiny has already written my every action from now to eternity.

"Oh Link I had no idea!" She takes his hand and holds it against her own. "Link, I may be young but I know that destiny is not written so firmly. You must choose and everyday and every action is up to you. I know you and know that there is courage inside you, enough to bear up under this destiny." Link smiles again and says "I take strength from that. Thank you."

They sit silently for awhile, finishing their tea and listening to the breeze rush over dry stalks of grass. A full moon rises above the crests of distant mountains and there is a silver sheen over all. Malon turns and asks "What do you know of love Link?"

Link takes his hand from hers and cups her face, "It is not my right to know love when there is so much to be done. I tried to love and there was only pain. My father tried to tell me this before and he was right." "But Link! If there is no place for love then what do you fight for? You shouldn`t close your heart so. You will grow cold and cynical, untouched by the warmth of life. You`ve seen my father and he is better now but when he lost his wife he was so cold. Please don`t shut your heart to love." A very desperate plea from Malon that Link truly thinks about it and indeed, it seems that he was shutting himself off from such feelings. "I know, but if I, if we are not successful then there is no point." This from Link who is struggling with swirling thoughts.

"Did your father die so needlessly? Do you think he died without thinking of the future and what could be? Link, it sounds as if your father loved you enough to give his life. So what if you are in his shoes again, and so what if it looks bleak. At least you have this life, right?" Malon suddenly pushes Link to the grass and falls on top of him. She leans over and kisses him hard and tight. After a pause she gets back up and says "You`ll also have my love as well. Maybe after everything is settled we can talk about it more. Good luck, Link." Malon strides away towards the house and Link is left staring up into the sky, bewildered but intensely happy.

……………………….

A streak of pink flows over the horizon as Link stands on the porch packing the last of his supplies. Malon and Talon still sleep and he figures it best to leave before they awake, especially after what Malon has told him. He still cannot figure out what to do about that. Before heading out the gate he walks into the field and pulls out his ocarina. He fails a few times but eventually Zelda`s Melody floats out. Link plays it with the air of a reverence to dawn, full of passion and respect. In the pale light of dawn the ghostly figure of Princess Zelda appears. She looks tired and there are dark circles under eyes. Her golden hair is cut short and she wears tight, leather clothing for travel.

But her blue eyes light up when they spot Link, as if he suddenly was the only one in the world for her. His heart aches at her gaze and he wants so badly to reach out to her. Instead he greets her, "Princess, it is good to see you. Are you okay?"

She smiles and her fatigue seems to fade. "I am alive and that is enough. And you? Last we spoke you were traveling into the deep forest. Do you have the gems?"

Link holds them up, "I am fine as well though a little confused as where this is all going. I have all the gems of the spirits. Is there some purpose to them now, some magic that can defeat this man and his army?"

Zelda grins again and says "that is great news, Link! I am sorry for keeping you in the dark about our plans but trust me, it is for the best. This man I told you about, Gannondorf, his army draws even closer to Hyrule and I am having trouble reaching the garrison and our military leaders. The Sheikah have received word that Gannondorf has disappeared. Without adequate information I am afraid we are in dire danger! My guess is that he too seeks these gems for power over our kingdom. Link, we cannot let him have them! I must ask you to travel to Hyrule Castle and seek out my captains. Let them know they must be prepared to defend our land!" Zelda looks away, unable to meet his eyes, "Link I must ask you one last favor. After notifying my captains, take the gems to the Temple of Time where they will be safe. It is the great stone building at the foot of hill next to my castle. You need only place them inside and they will be protected. I have confidence Hyrule`s army can protect the land though. Afterward, come and meet me. We have much to talk about."

Link nods and the vision fades. He packs the ocarina away and starts for the gate. He shuts it behind him and thuds down the path that will lead to Hyrule Castle. "The Temple of Time, huh? I`ve never been there before," he thinks. He feels good then and his feet fly over gravel and grass. "Maybe this won`t be so bad, deliver the gems and then I can go help Zelda. Maybe by next spring I can come back and see Malon." Happy thoughts carry him onward.

…………………

Far off, Zelda sighs and whispers "I`m sorry Link."


	12. A Sword and a Hero

"Come here boy. Step outside with me and look. Do you see any black armies coming to sweep us under? Where are the thousand-strong hordes hungering for our blood? Do you see these walls? Eight feet thick! Do you see my men down there on the walls? Three-thousand strong! But that is beside the point. There is no threat, never will be. Who would dare come against Hyrule? We are the rulers of this land, strong and unopposed!" The mailed fist of the captain slams down on the balcony as he waves his hand over the town below as if encompassing it, along with the entire world, under his ruling gaze. Link stands with him on the open terrace of the upper tower in Hyrule Castle. The warm haze of a sunny afternoon hangs over the rooftops of the market and the white blocks of the castle glow with a dull shine.

Link interrupted the captain's revelry, trying to find reason. "But captain, are you not compelled to follow the princess`s orders? I have her crest here and trust me I speak the very same words she gave me. "Prepare," she said, "for an army comes upon the land of Hyrule." Please, captain, I have seen the monsters that lurk in the shadows, doing the bidding of the man who commands it. They are not mortal and harder to kill than simple soldiers. You lose nothing by making preparations and win everything if we are right. Please, on the orders of the Princess!"

The captain scowls and fingers a costly-looking necklace set with a sapphire. It does not escape Link that all the other captains gathered in the room also bear some form of costly jewelry: rings, pins or necklaces. The captain finally lays a hand on Link`s shoulder and guides him back inside. "Come boy, quit this joke. I do not know how you came upon the Royal Crest but I will have it back and have the truth out of you. We are safe in this castle and the plains of Hyrule stand empty and open; by god we can see for miles, and there is no enemy! I will not have the regiment stirred up and the citizens in a panic over a boy`s mild fantasy. Now, what will it be? The truth or the stocks?" and the captain advances with a heavy hand on his curved sword.

"Then we have already lost." Link stuffs the crest back in his pack and leaps off the balcony, falling into the bushes beneath. "Why could they not see this threat?" mutters Link, but the answer hits him as he gets up and comes face to face with a giant marble statue. It bears this inscription: _King Zane, the 34__th__ ruler of Hyrule. "Be weary of power lest it wear itself upon ye." _It was simple. With the throne empty and the crown gone there was a void in power. Rule naturally went to the captains of the military, a logical move but an unwise one, for they were forever skilled in the delegation of force and the disposition of arms. They had no experience balancing the wisdom to do justly with the temptation of power to corrupt. And Link sees that struggle carved into the marble face of King Zane. "It is true what they say," thinks Link, "the best rulers are those who do not want to rule."

So whether by bribe or a greedy grab for power, the kingdom would fall. It would fall while there were still good people to fight for it. The sheer stupidity of it almost drove Link back inside, willing to fight to get attention. "Hey, listen!" It`s Navi! "Quick, Link, flee before they send guards after you!"

Link vaults the bushes and drops to a dry canal circling the castle. It eventually leads to the market area of town. While he walks Link looks strangely at Navi, "Where have you been? I could have used your help in the deep forests you know." Navi circles his head in agitation, humming and buzzing. She finally lands on his shoulder and says "I am sorry I abandoned you but I have been with our Fairy Mother. Oh, Link, the things she told me!" The fairy fidgets, flies off and returns as if thinking about leaving. She speaks again, though hesitantly, "Link, I will stay with you for good. You will need help, now more than ever. Our Mother had visions of what could happen and has told me of certain things."

Link looks up excitedly, "like the future? You know what will happen? Will Zelda be ok? Is there an army coming? Navi! Come on, if you know lets have it!"

But she paces up and down his shoulder for a bit. "I…we….will be ok for a time. That is all I can say. Please don`t ask me anymore." They walk again in silence, the afternoon growing older and the giant sun sending out its last heat of the day. The shadows of walls and roofs streak across Link`s face as he moves into the town proper. Navi stirs and says "It`s going to be a nice sunset don`t you think? Maybe we should hang out for a bit and watch it. We could spend the night in an inn and figure out what to do tomorrow. I mean the drawbridge is going to close soon." "Hmm, maybe you`re right, I could do with a nice bed." Together they make their way up the town`s clock tower and emerge through its trap door to the roof. It's the tallest structure in town and reaches so high one can almost see the tiled-roof of the castle.

The sun grows in brilliance until the world is set afire in molten light. The houses below are all dyed a fiery red and the far-off plains of grass look like nothing but a vast, reflecting sea of gold. Here and there a few towns' people stop in their walks and turn toward the sunset, pausing to take in a glorious sight. Link takes out his ocarina and plays a few songs. Navi sits on the railing of the roof and does a little dance along with the tunes. The noises of the town grow quieter and the brilliance dwindles to a small ball of fire that shrinks towards the horizon. "Ahh, Navi, such peace. I feel at times so caught up in higher goals that I would be happy if the only reason to fight was to witness this sunset one more time. One more day of peace, is that too much to ask of the world?"

Navi too seems in a quieter mood. "Yes Link, I would also fight for a more natural peace such as this. We spirits take greater stock in these riches than the metal and paper of your realm. But enjoy it. Enjoy it like it is your last."

The fiery eye winks out and there is only the glowing sheen of twilight and a feeling of witnessing something spectacular. Link stirs and whispers, "like it is my last. A good sentiment, live life to the fullest. But I don`t know yet how to save this life. What should we do now that the army won`t even listen to me? Well, I`d better get the gems to the Temple of Time tomorrow, at first light. Perhaps after that we should appeal to the Zora`s or the Goron people. They are more logical, less ruled by tempting power. Hmm. Anyhow, we better get to an inn and a good bed." So they descend.

…………………….

Link and Navi wander the streets, looking for an open inn. Torches have sprung up on walls and with clouds covering a full moon, shadows lay deep outside their pools of light. Their search brings them into the courtyard near the drawbridge. "We might have to sleep in some barn or stable tonight," says Link looking around at darkened windows. He goes and sits on a stone bench and looks up towards the wall where the moon struggles to peak out of dark clouds. "Huh! Who`s that?" Upon the wall are two figures moving towards the drawbridge, wearing dark clothes with deep hoods. They reach the mechanism for lowering the drawbridge and begin to turn it. Suddenly out of the night and from the other side of the wall comes a bloodcurdling screech and Link leaps to his feet. "Stop that," he yells and rushes towards the steps that run up to the top. He runs along the walkway and lays a hand upon the shoulder of the hooded figure. "What are you doing? You can`t open it at night! Wolves and worse roam the land!"

The hood is flung back as the figure turns; it is the captain Link so recently visited! "You!" says the captain and draws his sword. But for Link, taught so recently of the sword tactics of the deep forest tribe, the captain is slow and predictable. In a few seconds the captain is screaming as he falls over the wall. Link knocks the other dark figure on the head with a sword and he falls to the stone walkway. "What were they doing?" he exclaims. A faint rustling reaches Link`s ears, like a great ocean of leaves twitching in a strong breeze. He goes to the wall and peers downward through the hazy blackness. He looks up at the clouds again just as the moon finds a chink and shines through. He looks down again and his heart stops for a beat. For stretching from the moat to far over the plains are more soldiers than he has ever seen in his life. They are like the trees of a forest, ordered and quiet in the night. Not a word, not a sound, the only movement the colored pennants of regiments snapping in the wind. He looks along the castle wall both ways but sees no sign of torch or patrol. There is no one but Link and he stands alone with the enemy at the gates.

He backs away and makes for the stairs. "The alarm, it must be sounded," he thinks. But before Link can make the ground there is the creak of wood and rope and the drawbridge falls. "What! Oh no, the second figure, I didn`t knock him out!" Link rounds the corner and reaches the middle of the courtyard just as the drawbridge slams down across the moat, raising a cloud of dust that fills the area. "Damn! Navi, can you see anything?" The fairy raises a small fit in the dust and says "no Link, I can`t even fly in this dust."

Stunned and walking blindly with arms raised Link hears the horn. It is like some great beast echoing from the far side of hell. The sound travels into the body and bounces around the heart, setting it beating in fear. It brings people tumbling out of their doors, looking around in puzzlement. The cloud clears and everyone looks to the open gate and the wall of black that comes pouring through. Riding at the head of this large horde is a man on a black horse in black armor, smiling a knowing grin. He halts the advance at the first cobble stone and looks around. His red hair flashes and his eyes hold malice and contempt. Slowly he takes off his gloves and holds his right hand up. The Triforce glows brightly, and from between the legs of enemy soldiers rushes ugly creatures of brown and silver fir, all fangs and claws. They jump and bite the few towns` people that haven`t already fled. But Link stands untouched and this draws the gaze of the man upon the horse. "Who are you!" he calls in a savage and dry voice.

It had all come together for Link during the first few moments; the dream, the old, dusty book and the princess`s warnings. So in reply, while standing alone in the flickering torchlight, Link draws off his leather glove and slowly holds up his hand towards the man. "I am Link!" he shouts and draws his sword, sending tendrils of green fire up its blade. The man`s eyes became feral and wild. He straightens up and roars into the night. "Boy! You are nothing!" His hand glows red and he points towards Link.

Link finds himself several blocks down the street, smashed into the wall of a mask store, a yellow mask of a fox falling over his face. "Ohhh, Navi. Navi. I….." Navi climbs out of his pack and flies up to his face. Link has several cuts on his face but looks just bruised. "Link we must move! Get up!" He slowly stands from the rubble and looks back towards the gate. The soldiers now rush freely, splitting up and entering side streets and houses. The screams of people start and Link clutchs his hands into fists. "This can`t be happening! That`s Gannondorf, the Gerudo leader! Damn, he must have bribed those sneaking captains!" Link and Navi retreat up the street. Already flames can be seen over the rooftops. "All is lost! All that for nothing, Navi, he has won!" Link pauses at the town gate before the castle proper and crumbles down against the wall. There are tears on his cheeks, streaks of clear skin through the pale dust. "He`s too powerful. Maybe if I were older or maybe if I spent more time training. But it`s hopeless!"

Navi flies down fast and bumps his head hard. "Link! You never gave up! Why do so now? Because one man and an army has conquered one town? Link, there are other people and other towns that still live. While there is still breath in at least one person who still fights back we have a chance. Remember Zelda and what she does. There is hope there. And in you!"

But despair is a strong current and Link fights with every memory and every bit of courage he has to stand up again. He brushes off the tears and tries to smile. People keep demanding that he never give up, always find hope and courage to preserver. He feels so selfish now that he wants to sit back down and give in to the weight that pushes him down. He says quietly "only once more, Navi; I cannot take it anymore, the strain of trying so hard only to lose everything again. I`ve got only one more try left in me."

"Then let it be the right one. Come, we must get the gems into the Temple of Time before that man discovers us." Navi says this none too gently, and feels a little shame that this moment has come.

…………………..

Up they go along the path towards the castle. Behind the sound of battle turns to slaughter as the trapped towns` people are caught and forced into submission. Ahead the massive body of the Temple comes into view. It is made of the same stuff as the great castle and radiates imposing grandeur and timeless strength. There are no windows and the only entrance is a door cut out of solid stone. Link and Navi run desperately for the door. At the top of the stairs, before the Temple, they stop and turn. Not ten feet behind them are five Gerudo soldiers coming on fleet feet and armed with sharp spears. Link stands fast, and with his sword glowing green he greets their advance. His whirling slash throws three back down steps, their bodies bouncing to rest. The other two make quick jabs and cuts at Link`s face, trying to force a mistake. Link grabs the shaft of one and reverses it to smash the owner`s face. The last spear comes in horizontally and Link ducks, bringing his sword swinging into the Gerudo`s midsection. The body goes flying and lands at the feet of Gannondorf, dismounted and striding up the steps. He is grinning as he climbs.

"We`re not going to make it Link," says Navi as she rides in his hat. Steps from the door Link crouches, arcs his body forward and spins around on the balls of his feet. Flying from his outstretched hand is the yellow boomerang he picked up so long ago. It catches Gannondorf by surprise and smacks him on the chest, throwing him back apace. The boomerang returns to Link`s hand and he lets out a whoop. "You got banged!" They fly into the entryway. "Quick," says Navi, "get the gems onto the altar!"

"But that's not a safe place. Isn`t there a magically-sealed tomb or chest here?" and Link frantically looks around the small antechamber. It is sparse, only smooth columns and a single large Triforce pattern that decorates the far wall. "Do it! Trust me!" screams Navi and Link runs over to the altar and slams down the three gems. Immediately there is the sound of screeching rock and Link looks towards the entry. A giant slab of stone is descending, slowly blocking view of the outside. Gannondorf scowls from the top step, a mere couple feet from the door. But suddenly his scowl turns into a wry smile and he waves his hand at the army in back to stop. Before the slab slams into place Link sees the Triforce on Gannondorf`s hand flash once and the man turns to look up at the shining castle.

…………………..

It is quiet, no, beyond quiet. There is a buzz in Link`s ears at the silence. His footfalls echo loudly in the empty corners of the room. There is light but no source, as if the walls themselves glow. "Well we`re safe here I guess. We`ll hold out here for a few days and then venture out." Link finally notices Navi sitting on the altar where the gems are lined up. "Why so glum Navi? At least we kept the gems safe." Navi looks up and says "we are trapped here, Link, don`t you understand?" She flies upwards then, landing on a ledge far up by the ceiling.

Link explores the room some more and notices a slab of stone set opposite the entrance. It does not budge no matter what he does. "Hmm, a second room?" He occupies a few hours patching up his wounds and catching a brief nap.

He wakes and thinks "it must be near dawn. How many people are left alive to see it?" It is a dreary thought so he pulls out his ocarina and plays a few tunes to cheer himself up. His fingers find the holes to _Zelda`s Melody_ and he plays out the tune. From the corner of his eye he catches the sight of the three gems moving! They float up a few inches and start to spin together. There is a whirl of color and a bright flash and a single gem falls to the altar. It is shaped like an eye and banded with pure gold in intricate shapes. Link is drawn to it and the moment his hand touches the surface the slab of stone begins to rise.

Link walks over and peers into the new room.

If light can ever be said to decorate walls and enliven mere stone then this room is a testament to that statement. Shafts of light bounce and refract as they create shapes in the air. Thin points of light prick the floors and ceilings like a patchwork quilt of bright gold. The room draws him in with its pure essence and Link cannot help but feel right in this room. He feels as if he is being reunited with some part of himself that was taken away at birth. It all fades though when he catches sight of the sword. It`s point is grounded in a large pedestal and a shaft of light falls directly upon it, burnishing the blue hilt and bright metal with soft gleaming rays. Link can feel it calling to him and as he draws closer there seems to be music in the air, as if someone strums a harp only for him. He does not notice Navi as she slips in and settles on the floor of the room.

His mind is clear as he steps up on the pedestal. His breath comes calm and steady as he approaches the sword. His eyes, bright and wide, focus on an engraving at the base of the sword. "_Only one worthy of being a hero may bear this blade._" A hero, a choice. The words are less a thought and more the pulse of his being as he sets hands upon the hilt and takes a deep breath.


	13. The Begining of Dark Times

Blackened timbers with pits of glowing embers stick up into the sky like the rotting carcasses of slain giants. Men and women stained with falling soot and the blood of family and friends huddle in cellars and hidden basements, trembling at every hiss and cry of unseen beasts. Women in dark leather stand in groups around flaming debris, every one of them bristling with weapons and cursing the cold. Shadows jump along the gutted roofs; fangs flashing and claws gleaming. The last fire burns fierce in the central plaza, a giant bonfire of slain bodies; merchants, farmers, artists, all dead and the lifeblood of Hyrule slowly dying.

Dark, menacing warriors line the path up to the castle. The giant oak doors are splintered and hang listlessly. The marble floors are coated with the blood of loyal soldiers and their bodies can be seen shoved into empty rooms. The great staircase hall, once so elegantly lined with pennants and banners, now lies ruined with long, trailing scorch marks and the pitiful tattered remains of colorful hangings. The royal wing and its walls of paintings bear claw marks on every surface. The Royal chamber doors are a smoking hole and there are craters coated with red blood on either side. On one side of the once grand throne room stands trusted Gerudo warriors watching the few traitorous captains, who talk nervously and finger the jewels that betrayed their hearts. The shields of Hyrule are torn down from the walls and lie trampled and bent. To the side of the throne two women warriors with red sashes in their hair pour over maps and push small statues around a table. In the middle of all of this Gannondorf sits on the throne in silence. He looks straight ahead as if lost in thought, but in his hands is the Crown of Hyrule, crushed and twisted.

Gannondorf growls aside, "Ba`en, send out the messengers." One of the warriors by the maps turns and salutes, "Yes my Lord!" Ba`en, a military advisor, beckons a lean warrior over and hands her several scrolls. "Get these to our forward outpost quickly!" The warrior takes them and starts off at a dash for the door.

Gannondorf beckons Ba`en again, "Come with me." They walk behind the throne to an open terrace and stand at a balcony overlooking the ruined town. Gannondorf brings a mailed fist down to grip the rail hard. "Soon our hidden armies will spring upon the other nations and with Hyrule no longer able to aid its neighbor they will fall like trees before the hurricane. What is your assessment?"

Ba`en turns and leans against the rail, crossing her arms and taking in the smoke and dust in the air. "Sire, if I may speak freely?" With a nod from her Lord she continues, "The women dislike working with your beast sire. They feel uncomfortable at the amount of bloodshed and savagery they display. Also, would it not be better to keep the citizens alive for upkeep of the towns afterwards?"

There is a queer smile upon his lips then and Ba`en sometimes fears that look. His cold voice seems to speak across a great distance, "Ba`en, it is fear, power and dominance that I want, not their cooperation. If I spared lives, what would I trade for their help? Benevolence does not extend to the life of a person if the hand that stays the sword demands a shackle around the neck. No, lives must be sacrificed to set an example. And I would not have my tribe corrupted from the killing that must be done. That is why I use my creatures. But if you must tell the others something then tell them that I make use of the beast because I value my tribe all the more."

Ba`en cannot fathom the plans that must run through his head nor the reasoning that drives his passion. "Sire, there had been no sight of Zelda, nor of her maid. I fear that we have lost them for the time being. Also we have been unsuccessful in trying to break in to the Temple. It`s as if some magic protects the walls."

Gannondorf scoffs, "There is always magic where the Triforce is concerned. No Ba`en I`m afraid you will never break through those walls, not until the time is right. I believe that small kid will no longer be a worry. In fact he will do me a great service soon. Be patient. While we wait would you like to know a secret?"

"My lord I would be honored to be in your confidence!" and Ba`en drops to the ground as an eager student.

Gannondorf spares a cynical look for his advisor and then gazes outward. "Power is my right. I reached out into this world and took it! It was there, just sitting unprotected one day and I took it. Very simple. This is the symbol of that power." And he points to the tattoo on his right hand. "Power to defeat my enemies and make them cower beneath my heels. Power to summon those beasts to my side. It is power that I wanted and now I have it. But it is not enough. Ba`en, out there are two others with the same tattoo. Two other bearers of power, different than mine but same nonetheless. But they are mistaken! They see it as a burden, as a temptation to protect against. And they squander the power it would give them! This triforce is not some goodly power for peace and love. No! It is neutral and reflects the true wishes of whoever bears its mark. And they fight for some abstract principles? They are so misguided! That is why I must find the Triforce and correct this mistake. To touch it is to be untied with its true power, to truly control the very world. The legends and rumors of a sincere and just force is a lie, it allies itself with whoever finds it. That, Ba`en, is the secret. The fools of the world who worship the Triforce as some holy relic are wrong!"

To Ba`en, who sits at the feet of this outpouring speech, it seems Gannondorf truly stands between a chaotic world and the order he could bring. To question him is to question a god, how could you understand the undercurrents of thoughts that travel in such an entity. "Lord, to even possess more power would truly strengthen the Gerudo`s hold here and help spread our conquest to the far reaches of the land. Can I be so bold as to ask how you will find this artifact?" There is a light in her eyes now as if her King has suddenly became something more, a savior or some deity of power.

Gannondorf looks with disdain upon the adulation, but this is his closest relationship and who else could he talk to? The mindless creatures that hunger only for blood and combat? Surely not. So he voices with surety the plans that will win him eternal power.

"It is most simple, Ba`en, most simple indeed. I believe a small boy will help me." And he lifts his gaze to the Temple of Light just as a brilliant shaft of pure, white light shoots out through the roof. He smirks, a smile full of sharp canines and says "right on time boy, right on time."


	14. Year One: Around the Fire of Rebellion

The embers of a popping fire float up into a sky overflowing with endless stars. Malon feels the rock underneath her grow cold as the night deepens and she is thankful for the fire`s warmth. They would be here in few minutes, or so she hopes. There was always the possibility of betrayal, and were it so the hard faces of those silent women of Gannon`s Army would appear besides her fire. She shudders at that thought and wills the appointed time to arrive soon. Malon stands and paces the small island of rock, going to the far edge and peering out into the darkness, trying to see signs of some movement, color or the hint of a sound. Anything would be better than this nervous waiting.

Her eyes adjust to the dark as she crouches on the edge, resting her hand on a small outcrop. There is a faint star-shine glimmer, the waters of Grand Azure Lake, formerly Lake Hyrule. It's once sparkling waters stand low on the shores, barely reaching the great pillars of rock that support this island. The slime and mud on the pillars have long dried and now dust storms blow from the lake region on windy days. "What changes he has brought," she thinks. "Yet another reason we must unite!" This last she mutters in an exhaled whisper that brings together all the anger, frustration and despair she has felt this last year.

"I agree. By the way the wind can shift suddenly and the Sheikah would hate to lose so valuable an ally." The cynical voice comes from a figure seated by the fire. The flames pick out bright purple irises shining from the depth a pure white hood. Black curls spill from the sides and the girl wears the white and blue tunic that marks her as part of that secret tribe. Malon takes this all in and moves towards the fire, "Kylia! I didn`t hear you approach." A smile from Kylia and "of course you didn`t! I am of the unseen and unheard. Where are the rest of our conspirators?"

One by one they show up. Some making scrabbling noise as they ascend the rocky staircase to reach the flat rocky vista, some appearing as Kylia did, stepping out of the shadows and suddenly there. Ruto, the exiled princess of the Zora arrives, her skin glistening in the firelight and scowling at the dry wind that blows softly. Geran of the Goron, forced to run after sabotaging the efforts of Gannon`s to mine his brother`s priceless rock caverns. Despite his large stature he looks scared and lonely, harried by some unseen presence. Lia, of the Deep Forest, shows up as quietly as Kylia, giving Malon a hug before sitting down at the fire. The last to arrive is a small halo of light, seen from far away, bobbing along the lake shores, before climbing up the steps. It is a small fairy riding the shoulders of a thin man wearing a green tunic. He in turn leads a blindfolded woman by the hand. As the man approaches the fire he turns and removes the blindfold. They all gasp at the red hair and tan skin. In one motion Kylia has a sword at the throat of the Gerudo woman just as Malon yells "Hold Kylia!" The woman lifts her eyes to stare out at the others and the steely glint of the sword matches the gray of her eyes. They sing of pain and defiance, of the emptiness of deserts and a wild longing for the scouring cleansing of storms of sand.

"Yes," the lean mans says, "She is Gerudo, but she is our friend."

"How can we trust her and who are you, friend?" This from Kylia who, though she had withdrawn her sword, still holds it ready with the point aimed at the Gerudo`s eyes.

The man rips open his tunic and bears his chest. Inked in powerful, green slashes is the Triforce. "This is the symbol of my trust. See it and know. I hold this woman`s life in my hands and will vouch for her trust. Her name is Ba`en and she has fled the ranks of that bastard`s Army and now stands allied with our side. But her story is not mine to tell and I believe we came to hear out this young woman first of all," and he looks towards Malon.

Everyone grunts in acceptance and settles back around the fire but the Gerudo woman sits alone.

Malon looks around at the hard faces and the secret hopes. Her heart is beating wildly and the lump in her throat is so big she can hardly swallow. But the memories of the past year flash by and she hardens her heart, standing up and speaking.

"My father died the night Gannon took the Castle of Hyrule. There were black monsters with blood dripping from sharp claws, flames that leaped from our barns and houses. I remember the screams of horses and cows that couldn`t escape. My father carried me in his arms to the side gate and locked me out as those fiends came for him. I heard his yells and tried to rush back in." Malon pulls her hair to the side, exposing a scar that runs from her ear, down her neck and disappears behind her shoulder into the back of her dress. "I got this when one of the creatures leaped at me. I only escaped to speak here tonight when my horse Epona dove in and I was able to grab her mane. She dragged me out and down to the fields where I mounted and rode until morning."

Malon`s eyes are downcast, looking into the fire as if she still sees the burning figures and the red eyes of those terrible monsters. "But that is just my story. That night and for countless others Gannon attacked the innocent, the peaceful, and the young and hopeful that had dreams of a good life. He and his army spread through the plains and hills of Hyrule like a plague, striking some dead and sparing others to live under his rule. I know your kingdoms were no less spared a similar tragedy. I`ve heard the caves and mines of the mountains no longer echo with laughter and music of the Goron and your people know no respite from the rumbling of Fire Mountain. Ruto, I feel your pain as well. We have seen the bodies of your kind along with the countless fish floating downstream in increasingly murky rivers. I`ve heard the caverns and grottos grow cold and Lord Jabu-Jabu no longer emerges from his home.

And the deep woods and tall tree homes of yours, Lia, the smoke and fire can be seen from miles off! I have seen with my own eyes the great swaths of forest cut down and left desecrated. And where does it all go? They build more weapons of war and more garrisons to conquer other nations. If that is not enough I have been to the towns of Hyrule and seen what remains of our once happy nation. Men and women exist, that is for sure, but they are lifeless! They shamble from home to great construction sites and back to the food offices where they must fight for a loaf of bread. Nobody smiles and everyone twitches as if constantly looking over their shoulders.

And the guards, on every corner of every street, at every crossroads and outpost. Their eyes always searching for the smallest infraction. I ask you, is this any way to live? What does the smallest child have to look forward to if this is to be their future? What about our future? I used to look forward to everyday, waking to the sunshine on my face, of hard but rewarding work in the fields and of stroking my horses and hearing their laughter. That is lost now and I dread every morning because it grows more likely I shall open my eyes to the world burning and ashes drifting down from sky.

"I too once looked forward to a new morning." All turn to Gerun. His big forehead leaves his eyes in shadows but the hunched shoulders speak of the sorrow he must feel. "For my people there is no better feeling than waking among one's brothers and sisters, wrestling in play and eating the rocks that grow deep in our caverns. My eyes used to love the sight of blue sky seen as a window from deep in the earth. Our songs once bounced along the floors and walls of the mountains and no one lacked in good humor. It is all so different now." Gerun lifts his arms upward, "the skies now fill with black smoke and the color blue is gone from our songs. Our caverns have become too hot and flood unseasonably with lava. When the swords of Gannon's Army could not pierce our hides he blocked us off from our supply of rocks. We now grow weak living off of stone and volcanic rock. My people weep at night. We must act." The Goron wraps his huge arms around his knees and drops into silence.

Across the fire Lia jumps up and the soft colors of her tunic blend into the night so she seems a stalking, angry head floating against the stars. "Every morning I would climb to the crown of our tallest tree and see the birth of the world. The sun would flare over the mountains to the east and a breeze would blow with the coming light. The branches would sway in the wind and the sea of leaves rustles like nothing you can imagine. The edge of shadow passes your face and the sun sparks a brilliant blaze in your eye. Then you tilt your face back, close your eyes and smile at the warmth that embraces the world.

In the afternoons, towards twilight and after the necessities of daily work are completed I go to a lake a mile from the villages. There is a rock in the middle of this lake that one can sit on and I go there. Imagine it! The silence in the air is matched by the stillness of the water. The mind quiets and all of nature rises up to fill the senses. Through the forest the sun shines, casting long shadows of thin trees upon the water. The light grows golden and leaves a melted puddle of gold on the gently stirring surface. There is a moment when it moves into alignment with the eye and you gaze through the corridor of a million things to see the sun. Eventually the land rises up to swallow the sun and the evening grows dark. Just before the day is gone the sun reaches up again with tendrils of pink and purple to coat the sky with color. And it is gone, I am content."

Lia is silent a moment, hands at her sides and a sad expression on her face. She lifts her eyes to Malon, smiles once and looks back to the fire. "I once loved Link when he came to our village unexpectedly. To lose that was heart-breaking but I knew it was for a better cause. But to also lose two of the greatest things I have ever loved is unendurable. Our tribe can no longer climb to the tops of the trees; Gannon's flying beasts roam the skies above our forests. We can no longer venture far from the protecting confines of our village; Gannon's foul beasts roam the forests. It is too much, we must act."

Ruto moves a bit further from the fire and raises her voice, "We, of the rivers and lakes, of the underground caverns of swirling currents, we of the Zora grow dry. I am a princess yet heir to nothing now. Our rivers slow and freeze, our lakes drain down muddy holes. My father grows increasingly despondent and his skin turns paler everyday. I fear for my people and have come to seek help for my kingdom. But I see that all suffer and so I see that we must unite to help all.

Few ever travel to our domain and know of the beauty that exists under the water. There are waterfalls the size of Hyrule Castle that fall underground. There are hidden caverns that are covered in flashing jewels, entire floors filled with aquatic flowers rivaling the roses of your surface. We have animals that never see the light of day yet move through the dark waters of our home with grace and beauty. They call to each other with song that rings like the harps of legends. To dive from some ledge and stream through the rushing currents is the lifeblood of the Zora. We thrive in the water and love the depths. To see the warriors of our race rush to the surface and leap in bright arcs, dripping drops of sunshine from their skin, that is the wonder of the Zora. But every week we come upon another area frozen, another person captured in this strange ice. I fear that I will be the last, a princess heir to a frozen kingdom, the only one left to wander the statues of my people. We must act!"

The Gerudo woman shifts and the eyes of the others are drawn to her. She looks at her captor and he nods. She gets up hesitantly and starts to speak, "I had a daughter once and I loved her for the strange yellow eyes she had from her father. Together we would walk the sands at twilight and I would tell her of the stories of our clan. She loved to sit on the crests of giant dunes and watch the eddies of sand and wind mix out in the empty deserts. The red hair of our people grew beautifully on her and I liked to imagine she would grow to create great works of art or poetry for our clan. I was younger then, living in a small tribe and having only the occasional skirmishes of war to break the peaceful way of the desert. But then our Lord Gannondorf came of age. We were joyous at first, blessed to be alive in a generation that gave birth to a male Gerudo. He had such promise during the first few years of his rule. We Gerudo have wanted nothing more than a united clan, healthy battle with our neighbors and a strong-spirited man to have children with. But my Lord was never satisfied with shifting dunes or the pinnacles of rock that were our homes. He gazed ever to the green mountains and blue waters of far-off oceans and dreamed.

After five years he came back from a strange journey changed somehow, as if some shadow stood upon his heart and he had forgotten the simple pleasures of the desert. He called for us to leave our lands in one great push and we were excited. Imagine it! The first Gerudo army to leave the sands and venture into great towering trees. We thought we were only seizing resources; wood, earth, jewels, men; and then leaving to return. When we kept pressing on the leaders of the tribes grew uneasy. But Lord Gannondorf is ever charismatic and he promised great glory and riches and so we were fooled.

I lost my daughter in the attack upon the Castle. The pockets of resistance were surprisingly spirited. We never thought that they too wanted to keep their land. Later, by Lord Gannondorf's insistence we were drawn into increasingly vicious attacks, sabotaging things in the dark and assassinating once-loyal allies. The last caused the certain women of our tribe to complain, calling our Lord to quit this land and return to our homes. I can attest to what he did to these women; the memories of burning figures and his dark grin still remain in my mind.

I took the chance to escape during an inspection of an outpost. At first I simply sought death, hoping some warrior of the forest or plains would find me and send my body to the earth. But my captor here found me weeping one night alone and spared my life. Since that night I have seen that my way lies in working to undue the strife I have helped cause. I come to you now with wrists bared and ask only that I be allowed to act!" Ba'en slumps to the ground after the last word, tired out from the impassioned plea.

After several moments of silence all present give a nod of their head or a brief grunt of assent. Ba'en, the Gerudo, is granted trust.

Lastly, Kylia stands up and says "I speak for the Sheikah who forever stand behind the royal line of Hyrule. We will do anything to protect the princess and restore her to the throne. The elders of our clan throw their support behind this meeting and say that you shall have the hidden blade to back you. Personally I would like to get one chance at that bastard Gannon. Let me get within a sword`s reach and he will know the wrath of the Sheikah." Kylia pulls out her short sword for emphasis and stabs it out with each word. "Even now the princess is safe and knows of the desperate condition of her kingdom. She sends her sanction on whatever plan is necessary to free her people. That is it."

Malon gets up again and speaks in a quiet voice "There is a whisper of hope, a sliver of light in these dark clouds. The night Gannon begun his dark reign a young man named Link entered the Temple of Light in search of magic that could defeat Gannon. Now there is some saying Link was killed in the battle for the castle or that even now the temple stands open and empty. But I trusted in him; more than that I loved him and I believe he`s still alive and searching for that help. But for Link to have any chance I say we must unite and act. We must fight for freedom, fight to reach the oppressed, get word to those struggling under the heavy weight of Gannon`s iron rule. We must do what we can to weaken his hold on our kingdoms and recruit people of like minds. When Link returns, and he will, he must not stand alone. He must have the support of people who believe in the almost extinct qualities of justice and freedom and the right to wake to a day of wonderful possibilities!"

………………………..

They each go their separate ways and just before daybreak the glowing embers of the fire die. But the spirit of that night does not. Each of them carries a kernel of hope back to their homes and with that the message spreads. It finds the ears of the depressed citizens of the cities and they walked a little straighter, telling their friends and those friends spreading the word. Lone wanderers walk among the nearly destroyed villages of swamps and mountains, speaking of men and women who look straight and sure into a brighter future. And in the back alleys, dark rooms, lone pastures and solitary cliffs people gather and bar their shoulders and chests to receive the green triforce. It cements the trust of those who are becoming warriors in the dark, fighters to a hidden battle, resistance to an overwhelming tyranny. And they clasp hands in secret and call themselves Talon`s Stand.


	15. Year One: To Face a Sage

A soft, caring voice comes from the shadows near the doorway, "Tell me your dreams, son."

Link answers from deep in his bed, wrapped in blankets and happy, "Oh Father! You`re back! Then it was all a dream?"

"Yes son. I am here to stay, No more leaving in the middle of the night. Now let your father hear of these dreams that cause my son to toss and turn so. And do not worry anymore." A shadowy hand reaches out and strokes his forehead gingerly, brushing the hair out of Link`s eyes.

Link snuggles under the bed covers until just his head peeks out. He can make out the dim outline of his father besides the carved crown and wants to rush out and give him a big hug. But just having him near again is enough.

"Oh dad, there has been such pain and death in my dreams! Such terrible visions and overwhelming evil. And I was all alone in the end. That`s what made it so frightening, that the responsibility to save so many fell on my shoulders and it was so heavy. And love, dad, love! I loved a girl so much, but like you said it ended badly. I was almost killed, probably did die, but killed to protect this girl. And after all that she turned away from me. Why, dad, why did all these horrible dreams come to me?" And he struggles to get up and go to his father.

"Are you there? Father?" Another desperate cry.

"Sshh, I am here son. Lay back down, rest. I am truly sorry that you had to experience such things. Come, tell me the rest so that you may sleep again." So Link recounts the dreams he had, from the moment his father walked out into the night to running desperately into the Temple of Light. He finishes with a sigh and closes his eyes.

He hears his father`s voice in the darkness. "Always so courageous, my son. You did well despite what you may think. Now rest and I shall sing you a song." A soft song begins; the lyrics are full of sunny days, peaceful meadows and blowing trees. Link hears them and sinks deeper towards sleep. The lyrics pull something in his forgotten memories and on the verge of drifting into slumber he is suddenly remembering looking up into his mother`s soft, blue eyes. She is cradling him in her arms and singing the same song. She stops and smiles, a smile so full of love that Link latches onto that feeling and falls asleep with it wrapped around his heart.

The scene around Link grows dark. But before it disappears completely the dim figure of his father leans over the sleeping Link and whispers softly, "Courage, my son. Courage to keep your word. That is all we have to stand against the night. Goodbye." And all is dark.

………………………..

And all is blue and hazy white. There is no ground nor walls or even a ceiling. There is no point of focus for Link and he falls, dropping the sword where it clatters with whatever supports this world. He looks around, nothing. He yells; no echo, no response. "Am I dreaming? Father? Where are you?" He`s in a crouch now, and seeing the sword connects it with the Temple of Light.

"What? But it was all a dream! Has to be. My father is Alive!" Link shouts this out into the drifting clouds.

He bends down and hefts the sword up. It's almost too heavy for him to swing with both hands.

"I will not suffer the Master Sword to be mishandled by a fool! Put that down young man!" A giant, booming voice. Link turns to find an old man in simple brown robes floating several feet above Link`s head. The man is bald and has a supremely eminent gray mustache that gives him an air of a scholar or some master of knowledge. He frowns down at Link and in his brown eyes flash tiny bolts of lightning. His voice rings out again, "Do not touch that sword yet! It has great power in this realm. I am Rauru, the guardian sage of the Spirit Realm and you are in deep trouble." His voice takes on a slightly crueler note, "And no boy, your father and home was only a dream of a dream. There is no escape from here."

All this is too much to take and Link drops to his hands and knees. The comfort and relief of being home and seeing his father is ripped away. For a long moment he hangs his head in despair, all hope and will to fight draining out. But the words of his father come back and he lifts his head and climbs back to his feet. But his eyes are still downcast. "What am I doing here?"

The sage scowls, "you are here to grow up. You are here to learn. You are here to train. But most importantly you are here so you are not out there. What did you think you were doing by trying to attack Gannondorf head on? Or attempting to steal the spirit stones of the holy shrines? Or pull up that sword without understanding the consequences?"

Link lifts his eyes in anger at these questions and replies, "Wait! I was only trying to do what was right, what others had told me. I saved some people, right? Isn`t that worth it all?"

"You were not thinking, Link! Did you know that without those spirit stones in the shrines the areas around them weaken and succumb easier to evil`s foul taint? Did you know that by attacking Gannondorf directly you made him angry enough to slaughter the town`s people? And love! How stupidly you have played with the emotions of others. By brazenly daring to love you have caused others to follow you with undue trust, and by association lead them to destruction. Link, all that you did was more harm than good."

The accusations strike Link hard and suddenly he looks at all that he has done with a new light. "Have I been stupidly destroying the hope of Hyrule all these months," he asks himself. "Why? How could I act so?" And he searches within, looking for some cowardly streak or some hidden, malicious seed.

The old man continues to float and cast down a scowl, waiting for Link to answer.

After a long time Link looks up. "No," he says simply, "you are wrong. I did what was right. The spirit stones were given freely for a higher cause. Those people believed in me, believed in trying to act and save the kingdom. And love? I will never believe love is the cause of destruction. It is the highest form of friendship, the acceptance and recognition of shared trust. Love is worth fighting for."

Finally, Link stabs his fingers towards the Spirit Sage. "And Gannondorf? You would blame me for his actions? Evil will forever act in accordance with its own will. To lay the guilt of those people`s deaths upon my hands is to say we should never raise a hand to fight evil and forever lay down beneath its advancing horde. You are the one mistaken!"

The lighting in the old man`s eyes quiets, becoming a soft glow. His scowl softens and turns into a soft smile. "Link, do you know what the definition of a hero is? It is not someone willing to sacrifice thousands for a greater good. The world has plenty of men and women who cannot decide which side to fight for and let the words of others lead them. No, Link, a hero is someone who loves life and knows the reasons for it. A hero is someone who fights not for the principles of some leader but for the principles that reside deep within. Like a great musician who first learns the music within their soul before playing it upon an instrument, a hero then is simply a person who seeks to unify the world without with the world within."

"Link, I had to test you in your faith. I am proud that you stood up to those accusations. That is why you are here. You have the courage but not the knowledge, the will but not the strength. What you need is the experience of years to teach you the right move to make and the correct choice of decisions that come in crucial moments."

Link had sat down through all this and now heaved a great sigh. "So I`m stuck here. For how long? What of the outside world?"

The Sage comes down to the ground and approaches closer to Link. "Yes, I`m afraid you will be here until you are ready. How long that will be I cannot say. But do not worry about the events that proceed outside. They happen now without you and cannot be effected from within this realm. But come, cheer up! Let's get going on starting your training. Here, pick up that sword."

Link gives the Sage a searching look, shrugging as if resigning himself to the facts at hand and picks up the sword.

Rauru speaks, "The sword has magic in this realm. It will let you travel to a place that will be easier to focus in. Think of somewhere that you have fond memories of, concentrate hard and try to build it in your mind. This shall be your home and where we shall begin your training."

The sword is heavy in both hands and Link tries hard while holding it to think of fond memories. There are few that are not tainted with some sorrow or fleeting pain. He closes his eyes.

He thinks of the first time Malon held his hand as they sat in a meadow watching the sun stretch long on endless heads of golden grass. He remembers the small creek they swam in and how cold milk chilled in the water next to flashing fish. There is the giddy feeling as their hands touched on the grass and she smiled at him.

The sound of swishing grasses suddenly comes to Link`s ears and he opens his eyes. He is there.

The Sage stands next to Link. The grasses blow against their legs and Link is surprised to see the old man`s gray mustache whip back and forth in the wind. Rauru puts a hand on Link`s shoulder. "It will not be easy." "I know," says Link. They both gaze out over the sea of grass, towards a small hut sitting on the edge of the meadow. "Then it starts here, the search for a hero begins today."

* * *

_Author`s Note: I`ve really enjoyed trying to recreate this story. It seems to be inflating before my eyes, longer than I thught it would be. Anyway if there is anybody who`s been reading it in its entirety I would appreaciate any comments on its flow, development etc. Hard to judge your own work sometimes. Thanks! _


	16. Year Three: Hope Dies

Meldone is a baker. He has a small shop in the reconstructed town of Hyrule. He bakes bread, muffins and special delicacies for celebrations, though lately there have been few opportunities to do so. Meldone is quiet, treats his customers well and is there every day to hand out bread to townspeople. He is married to a seamstress and has two sons. He loves them all very much and brings them treats from the shop when he can. When his customers forget their weekly bread tickets issued for work labor he pats them on the shoulder, gives them a loaf and says, "Do not worry. Bring it to me next time."

His workers are called away to build fortifications on the castle`s walls; Meldone starts earlier and works far into the night. His neighbor` blacksmith shop is seized by the army for armor manufacture; Meldone lets him work out of the back of his store. When his wife`s sister`s family can no longer afford bread because the husband has been maimed due to overworking Meldone takes half of his new inventory and has it delivered to their door. Even when his youngest son is accused of treachery to the kingdom Meldone has faith. Even when his son is dragged away one night by stone-faced women he waits patiently at the castle to appeal the case. "The stone quarries have claimed him, baker," Gerudo tell him and push him out the doors.

His wife retreats into her room for days at a time. His eldest is forced leave his carpentry job to help his father. They work harder than ever now to feed the hungry townspeople who line up for hours to get the limited number of loaves and rolls. The clothes of the people grow less and less colorful before the baker`s eyes as dye and precious silk grows more scarce. The men lose their strong stature and women grow thin and pale. But Meldone does his best to bake fast enough and keep his supplies stocked. And when he feels like fainting from working without sleep, the memories of the faint smiles from grateful customers keep him going.

One day there is a knock at his door. Outside are five Gerudo soldiers, their eyes cold and hard. He loses his shop just like that because the army cannot suffer to share with its citizens. Alone at the table at home he sits and stares at calloused hands that will no longer knead dough. From his pocket he brings out a folded paper he found slipped under his door. There are many words written on it; a few stand out- "Rebellion….now……fight back." "Those are words for a younger man," he thinks, "I don`t have the energy now." But the warm smiles and glad eyes of those hungry customers doesn`t leave his mind. "How will they eat now?"

He picks up the paper and heads out the door.

…………………………

Sona floats through dark caverns of rock, riding the river`s currents with smooth ease. The pale, blue light of aquatic plants glimmer on her skin. Tied around her waist is a bag containing the day`s harvest of Sea Cucumbers, a delicious food source for the Zora. She pauses to pluck one out and continues to swim along. At a branch where the underwater tunnel splits in two she opens her mouth and sings out. A piercing cry echoes through the water, bouncing off rock and sand to carry a picture of the branching network of caverns back to her. To Sona`s curiosity there is a odd gap of rock down the left turn. So she swims down it with long, powerful kicks.

As their domain grows increasingly cold, and the harvestable plants and fish become caught up in great blocks of ice, the able Zora have had to range wider and farther down unexplored cavers in search of food. The older Zora devote time to keeping bonfires burning in their caverns to keep the water and air warm and prevent ice from forming. Their great reservoirs of water; Hyrule Lake, Lord Jabu Jabu`s domain and their home aquifer shrink daily. Some Zorans have taken to catching birds and mice but the meat is almost unbearable in taste.

So Sona delves farther every day for her people, searching for edible food. The tunnel she is in now is strange; the water almost sucks her inward. Soon she is deep beneath the earth and going so fast she starts to fear slamming into the walls. The odd, glowing plant flings past her as a vague blur. The tunnel slants straight down suddenly and Sona makes the decision to turn back. But it's too late and she cannot make any headway against the sucking pressure of the water.

The current is strong, like two large hands pressing her downward. In all desperation she reaches with webbed hands for the rock wall that streams past. Blood mists up from her fingers and palms. But her fingers finally find purchase and catch in a small ledge of rock, clutching it for all she`s worth. After long minutes she looks down. Not twenty feet below is a gaping maw of darkness through which all the water pours downward. Small fish and bits of coral are sucked past and become lost in that black void. For Sona time ceases to be, her world is the wall and the tension in her fingers.

When she comes out of her trance she notices her skin is dry and the tunnel is completely empty of water. It is silent as she looks around, only the dripping of a thousand drops disturbing the queer scene. Up she must go and so she climbs, back through miles of rock and twisting caverns. Her feet become as bloodied as her hands and it leaves streaks of red on patches of sand. Finally she plunges into the pool of her home, glides through the cool water, pops to the surface and faints. Zora are there to catch her limp body and rush it to a nearby fire. When Sona comes to she tells them of the hole like night that swallows their precious water. "Before my eyes a river was lost," she tells them.

Later that night Princess Ruto visits Sona. They talk long around the fire, pausing only to throw buckets of water over their skin. The next day the Princess and several other Zora, Sona included, leave their kingdom. They all wear heavy backpacks and stride off with an air of great purpose. And in Sona`s mind echoes the words Ruto told her, "It happens soon. We will strike back!"

…………………………

Jarel holds the position most sacred to the Goron people. He is an artist. He is lean where the others are large and muscular, temperamental and rarely comes out of his caves to see the outside world. When the Gorons stamp their feet and pound the walls in joyous song Jarel sits and thinks; his thoughts are secretive and he scowls when brothers and sisters come to wrap him in large arms.

But when he lays hammer and chisel to the walls of rock, the Goron people cry and smile. Carved into the murals and wildly creative decorations are their history and culture. To see the statues of past chiefs; some posing triumphantly, some born, in death, on the shoulders of their tribe; is to feel the lifeblood of their ancestors. And to trace a finger along their curving lines and glaring faces is to hear their whispers and hushed songs of past glory. Jarel is forgiven so much because he embodies in his art so much of the unspoken and hidden qualities of what it means to be Goron.

One day, after months of being absent, Jarel goes to his chief and announces he is done. Together they journey through tunnels and stop at a large opening artfully carved with pillars and majestic arches. The chief slaps Jarel`s back hard, causing him to stumble, "So this is what you`ve been working on, eh Jarel? Well, let`s go in!" And the chief raises a torch to enter.

Jarel shoots a hand out, "Wait my chief! See it in the darkness first, please." So out goes the torch and they enter.

The cave is large and their footsteps echo into the darkness. They come to the center. Slowly the chief starts to make out small twinkling's of light, like that of far-off stars. But there is color; some flash a dull purple, some a red, a blue, even a yellow. They are scattered all over the walls and ceilings and the chief asks, "Does some magical fire burn up there?" "Light the fire and see, my chief."

So he bends down and knocks a few rocks together, creating a spark. As he lifts the torch and before it`s light falls on the walls, a large, blue flash catches his eye. The circle of light catches up and sparkles upon a brilliant, blue sliver of crystal. Under it is a large red ruby that soaks up the firelight. He takes a step back. Suddenly the blue jewel is a sword and the red ruby the eye of some monstrous dragon. And he realizes he is looking at the hero's battle; at Link as he plunges down upon the head of the serpent. It is carved with such life that he half expects them to leap off the walls and do battle in the air. The torch moves and its circle falls upon other jeweled scenes: an eruption of Fire Mountain laced with rivulets of red jewels; a great battle with the Lizard people, the Gorons holding slivers of silver and shields of yellow topaz; and the last, so big it covers the ceiling, is a map of the world with shining jewels for cities and flakes of crystals making up shimmering oceans.

There is a celebration that night and all come to lay eye upon it. Torches flicker in every corner so that there are beams of many colors dancing on the walls. Jarel is absent from the party though. For the first time in many years he sits outside on the lip of a rock, looking up at a starry night sky.

A week later a small army shows up at the entrance to Fire Mountain. They are all women but bear with them many bombs and creatures that hiss and twitch. They demand many things: labor, rocks, knowledge, money, weapons. The chief refuses them entrance and turns his back upon their threats. Two days later the chief is on his way back to Hyrule as a hostage and most of the Goron lay trapped behind a landslide of boulders. The survivors free them and try to take stock of their losses.

Jarel, once he has helped everyone, waits for morning, walks out of the cave and climbs to a nearby cliff ledge where he silently and without hesitation steps off into empty air.

When the survivors hear of it there is a great cry, for he was well loved. "Why," they all cry, "Why did he do it?" Someone speaks up, "Didn`t you know? They destroyed his cave."

Proving that art as well as beauty captures the soul as well as the eye, a few young Goron join with others of different tribes to make for Hyrule where they hear there are those that will not tolerate useless destruction any more.

…………………………

Like lovers scorned past the point of endurance their hearts are broken and they must have retribution for their misplaced trust. So hundreds gather from different nations, all bearing similar stories of woe and misery, all sharing the same crushing antagonist: Gannon and his Gerudo. They meet in half-burned homesteads and around camp-fires in hidden valleys; plans come out and they make their move towards Hyrule Castle.

…………………………

Meldone rests a hand on the covered wagon to steady it as he and four others make their way through the drawbridge and into Hyrule Town proper. The contents inside clink and rattle as the wheels bounce over the uneven cobblestones. The streets are all but deserted as the sun sinks low in the sky and as they make their way towards the castle a great horn sounds and the drawbridge is drawn up behind them.

Many of the houses are cracked and crumbling, windows dark and doors gaping open to reveal cobwebs and destroyed furniture. It is a sad sight for Meldone, who as a child remembers the colors and energy of the once bustling town. He sees Sona, wearing a brown cloak and face deep under a hood, and nods. She is surrounded by several others who work at repairing a broken fence. Several blocks further he passes similar cloaked Gorons repairing a statue in the middle of a plaza. One winks at him as they pass. Just before the last gate to the castle proper they arrive at their destination and it pangs Meldone to see it again. The bakery still sells bread but it has suffered from inattention and its roof and walls hang in like a defeated soldier. The painted walls are now chipped, revealing actual holes to peer inside with. Looking inside he can see four or five Gerudo working furiously to put out bread.

Meldone and his friends maneuver their wagon next to the wall of the bakery and go over to the window. "Hey," he says, "I have an order from Gannondorf for bread. We`re from the alchemist society and must eat to provide your bombs." A sweaty and disgruntled woman comes to the window, "Wait your turn then! We will have everything ready by the first bells of night. Blasted mystic sorcerers can't conjure their own bread." So Meldone and his friends lean against the wall and wait.

…………………………….

Malon, Kylia and three others walk towards the castle with their hands bound by stiff rope. Two Gerudo women, with swords out, walk them up the path. They reach a side gate into the castle and are hailed by guards, "Where did you get these filth?" Their two Gerudo captors responds, "Conspirators, captured for planning sedition against our outpost in the lake region. We're taking them to the lower dungeons." The guards laugh and plant their spear butts on the backsides of the prisoners as they pass. "Hurry along traitors! Lord Gannondorf will deal nicely with you!" Their laughter fades as the party rounds the corner.

Suddenly swords come out of the prisoner's robes and the Gerudo escorts turn and cut their bonds. "Thanks for helping us get in, "says Malon, "we understand if you want to leave and avoid fighting your clan." The two Gerudo share glances and laugh, "The Red Rock tribe? We never did like them very much. We'll help you." Together they steal upwards to an empty corner of the castle wall and look outwards over the town. "Any minute now, " says an anxious Malon. They do not wait long. Just as the first bell of night rings out a giant ball of fire rises up into the sky. It is followed by a deafening bang and the thump of an invisible hand pressing against their bodies. Down in the town there is now a crater of empty land where several buildings once stood. Neighboring stores and homes burn now in a ring of fire. After a several minutes of silence, several great, resounding gongs start to sound, calling the soldiers of the castle out to help. "Now," says Malon.

They reach the throne room with only minor scrapes, losing one man while facing the two guards that stood before the giant door. Malon and Kylia throw it open and the two others raise their bows and enter. The room is dark and cold. They step silently in and creep towards the throne. The glass balcony doors are thrown open and long, red curtains billow out into the room. Suddenly they see the form of Gannon standing alone, staring out at the buzzing activity below. His long, red hair forms a blood-red line down his back. They charge with swords pointed as two arrows release and rush towards his head.

But Gannon raises his hand with two fingers pointed upwards and all notice the three-triangle tattoo that suddenly glows bright. The arrows stop and fling backwards, burying their head in the chest of their owners. He turns towards his attackers and makes another gesture and they fly back from a small explosion to crash against the wooden-paneled walls. Malon is the first to hear a dark chuckle that turns into a roaring laugh. She gets to her feet and looks to her comrades. The two Gerudo stir and start to rise but Kylia is nowhere to be found.

"So this is your feeble attempt to wound me?" Gannon's voice is deep and rich as if savoring this moment. "I expected something, but pity it was this. So sad and pathetic to have such worthless enemies. Come, look upon the tool of your failure." Malon finally clears her head and looks towards Gannon. Kylia is kneeling next to him, sword sheathed and smiling. Gannon puts a hand on her head, "Realizing where true power lies, this one of the pathetic Sheikah came to me with your little plans. You were doomed from the second you stepped foot into my kingdom. Your friends down there," and he gestures out the window, "Dead."

"How does it feel, little one, to know your life is now hopeless?"

There is neither thought nor word Malon would spare for this man or the traitor at his feet, so she remains silent.

"Hmm. Not one to waste words, eh? No matter. What would you say if I told you that all the destruction, sabotage and ruination of lives was all a plan to flush out traitors? Yes, my dear little country girl, your precious rebellion was nothing more than a cleaning of house. It is a trick as old as time and relying always on the will of the "good" to grow outraged and act for justice. A pity that you didn`t have more cool-headed leaders like my Kylia." Kylia actually smiles wider at this compliment.

"Poor Kylia," thinks Malon, "she does not realize Gannon merely uses her as well."

"As for you two traitors, come here!" For the first time Gannon shows his anger and squeezes his hand into a fist. The two Gerudo are picked up by unseen hands and flung forward to the floor in front of Gannon. "Were we in the desert I would stretch you out in the heat and make you suffer for three weeks before death. But I think I can do just as well here." And he opens his fingers wide and touches the foreheads of the two women. They start to convulse; shaking and moaning in pain. Their clothes and exposed skin begins to smoke and before long they burst into flame. Malon turns away in disgust. When she looks back again the flames have died and what remains is less than a person. It is some zombie with brown, decayed skin and gaping mouth. It stands perfectly still yet it eyes rove all over the room. To the guards that have quietly filled the room, "Take these two creatures and turn them loose in town. A lesson must be taught to those who think they can attack me. Guards, bring that one with me."

Malon is bundled down behind Gannon as he exits the castle and strides down the step to the open courtyard. "Now, my dear, you will see what power can do." Gannon lifts his arms up and a beam of white light shoots up to the highest steeple of the castle. But as he stands concentrated, pouring power into the heavens, several horses appear from the corner and quickyly vault across the open space. The riders are wearing light green armor and have black gauze over their eyes. As they near the large group one rider raises a bow and fires a flaming arrow over the crowd. It bursts in a blinding light. Malon feels herself plucked up by a strong hand and is suddenly free and riding across grass towards the town gate!

Overhead the sky has turned into a swirling mass of black clouds laced with eddies of jagged light. A deafening hum pierces the air and Malon feels it deep in her chest. She looks back over the shoulder of her rescuer and sees a growing wall of light descend from the heavens. It races down around the castle and threatens to catch the horse riders within its walls. But the riders call out, urging their horses faster and they rush through the town gates mere feet ahead of the wall. The shimmering but transparent sheet of light slams down at the edge of the field outside the town, completely encircling the castle. It pulses and crackles with force.

………………………….

Riding on the back of Lia's horse Malon takes one last look at Hyrule as they enter the forest. The giant, shining gem encircles the castle now as gray clouds circle above. "What happens now," asks Lia, sounding defeated. For the first time Malon is at a loss, unsure what the next step will be. What can they do now that most of their number is lost and Gannon anticipates almost every move they make? Retreat and regroup? Flee Hyrule for the far seas and other lands? "I don't know, Lia, I don't know." The castle fades behind as they ride into the shadows of the forest.


	17. Year Six: Knowledge is Power

On a cold, clear day Zelda comes over a ridge and pauses, breathing in the crisp air and adjusting the straps of her pack. Another breath and then she descends, winding down a small trail into a large bowl of land. Standing lost among the blowing, golden-prairie grass that coats these hills with no end is a lone, withered shack. The dusky-golden sheen of the stalks and the simple beauty of the old structure bring glad emotions to her mind and she smiles through cracked lips, thinking, "I`m here."

Her attention is drawn to the opposite ridge where undulating lines of distant mountains compete with the sky to fill her view. The thin lines of grass at the horizon blow gently against a back-drop of country-blue; blue that makes her want to take a deep breath and fill her lungs with sky. The path now turns in a wide arc, slowly approaching the weathered shack from an ever-evolving angle so that she first sees the cracked, brown boards of a wall set with two clear, glass windows. A few steps more and a wide porch with a slanting roof appears. The final approach to the shack reveals a gaping black mouth with two sparkling eyes. The absence of any door somehow fits perfectly into the personality of the shack. She pauses at a junction in the trail; a lesser traveled path leading up to the porch while the main trail continues on and up to the blue sky beyond.

Her shadow lies long upon the trodden main trail and she is tempted to follow it up and over that far ridge, to keep walking and hiking, forever striding over distant lands and to forever forget she was ever someone of worth. But she made a promise and so turns down the rough path, brushing the day`s sweat from her head. The wooden steps creak as she steps up into the shade of the porch. She drops her pack and strides into the inner darkness.

It is a simple room for a simple shack; a small cot under the glass windows, a wooden table and a large, stone fireplace. There is dust on every surface and she can hear the squeaks of mice in the chimney. On the table is an old and frayed book. Zelda walks over and opens it. Inside are pages and pages of notes from travelers that have stopped in the shack for a night. The last entry is dated more than five years ago. "Not safe to travel anymore," she muses.

She goes and fetches her pack and plops down in the chair, tired and more than a little weary after a long day. She looks around the sparse room and through the glass windows. Outside the grass bends and whips in the wind and the sun sinks farther towards the horizon. "So I`m here, now what," she says to an empty room and utters a loud sigh. From her pack she draws out a small harp. It`s made of ivory, smooth to the touch. Zelda holds it up and blows over the strings, making them sing softly. She holds it awkwardly at first before settling it in the crook of her shoulder. She plucks out a few notes, tries a song and hits a wrong chord. "Damn! How could I forget this?" And she tries again. Her fingers are rough and unaccustomed to the finer work of strumming. "It will take ages to learn again," she thinks, "but then again I will be here for quite some time."

…………………………….

In the bones of the once great castle of Karell, in the exposed ramparts of white stone that jut over a cliff with drops to eternity, two figures squat unmoving, eyes closed and faces painted with the rays of a dying sunset. Suddenly they flare to life, muscles expanding as they leap. A foot lashes out, catching only air as the other bends and whirls around. They are still again, frozen in form as they land. The harsh wind runs over the cliff and races past, streaming their hair wildly; one the color of gold, the other silver. A heartbeat and they move again, a pulse, a flick of movement. A punch deflected into a throw into a knee to the stomach. The golden-haired one jumps back, dodges a kick and launches off a crumbled column to grasp the arms of the silvered one and fling her hard against stone. Blood flies from the mouth and the golden-haired one twirls with a well-aimed heel for the other`s head. The heel stops inches from the head, only disturbing a few hairs of silver.

A bloody smile and "Well done my Princess, you have beaten me." Zelda smiles and offers a hand to Impa, her former maid and now teacher. Together they climb the ruins to one of the towers. There are holes in the walls and it rocks slightly in the wind but the two settle down comfortably in the middle of it.

"I am proud of you, young one. No, I can no longer call you that. You are a woman now and deserve better." Impa looks out at the darkening sky. "You deserve a kingdom and a time to rule in peace. You deserve more than I can give you. I only hope I have done enough."

Zelda interrupts her teacher, "Ssshh, enough. I will have peace one day, of that I am sure. I am content with this for now. Look," and Zelda stretches out her hand, waving it over the sunset, the room and reaching out touches the cheek of her teacher. "I am still alive, still able to enjoy the beauty of a day and still able to hope for a better world. That is enough."

Impa becomes serious. "My princess, I have taught you all I know. What lies beyond this moment now rests in your hands. You must leave and seek the future for yourself."

"Seek the future? What do you mean?"

Impa looks down for a moment, then taking Zelda`s right hand, pushes up her sleeve. "There are certain secrets passed down among the protectors of the crown. I will share with you one of our greatest. The Triforce? It has a purpose. In Gannon it brings forth great power, though colored by his demented mind., For the boy now lost in time? Though it is yet untapped he gained a measure of courage from it to face his dangers. But you Zelda, you possess a different sort of power, knowledge. Of the three it is perhaps the most dangerous and so deservedly has appeared on the hands of those who could most use it. I know that your mother and her mother both bore the mark. But for them, in those times of peace, it was merely a reminder of a long ago dream and a half-forgotten prophecy."

Zelda gazes at the three triangles on her tanned skin. It has been a part of her life since she was born and had grown to think it was simply a mark of her royalty. To be reminded that Link and her shared a common link with Gannon reminds her how little she truly knows about it. So she asks, "How is knowledge power?"

"To be right when a thousand voices yell that you are wrong. To look into the eyes of the most talented liar and still know the truth. To know the true consequences of action and be able to choose the right one. If you can rise one day and see the distilled essence of reality separated from desires and baser emotions then the power will be yours. Not to blast your foes or lead men in battle, but to be the unwavering voice of order and truth, to have no separation between what you want and what must be. To have **that** knowledge is real power."

"But you must discover these things for yourself. That is why I am sending you beyond our borders to lands unknown to any save homeless wanderers. There is a bit of land that is stark but beautiful where you will go to think and discover this power. This map will lead you there." And Impa hands over a rolled leather canvas.

Impa continues, "You will be all alone. It may be hard but have strength. I have no answer to how long you must be there but I can only say that you will know when to return. On that day I will welcome you home with a hug." A sad smile and Impa takes Zelda`s hand in her own.

In the morning when Impa wakes the tower is empty.

…………………………

Later that evening Zelda climbs to the flat roof of the shack, bringing a portable stove and water to heat for tea. There is a blowing breeze that brings the gentle kiss of a coming cold night and flicks her hair out playfully. Although the shack sits in the middle of a bowl, it has to one side an opening of land carved out long ago by a glacier that had slid and poured down valley. Thus from her seat on the rough shingling she can peer down the long valley to similar gold-covered mountains and their lower brown and green covered foot-hills. But what comes to capture her gaze while the warmth and gradual energy of the tea is sipped in is the solid finger of white that towers above the rest of the horizon`s jutting forms. It is a far-off pinnacle of gleaming, snow-capped rock, a massive mountain that easily over-tops all others.

The sky now leaps with a sudden brightness that signals the coming death of the sun. It is nature`s way of reserving the strongest display of color for the last bit of day, when perhaps all forms of life pause in their transition to nocturnal habits to witness this one great effort. There is a radiant aura that seems to blaze up the valley, setting the grasses below on fire. The sky then blooms a deep red around the setting sun and it is then that the sometimes bitter lonesomeness that had set in over weeks of journeying here are supplanted by an innocence of being, a little laugh that escapes at the sight before her.

The last drops of bitter tea slide down her throat in the fresh darkness that descends so quickly. She sets the now cold cup down and drops from the roof into waist high grass. Some urge draws her out from the shack`s squat presence, up through the great mass of nearly invisible swishing stalks and out towards the bowl`s upper ridge. There she walks with her head down, not wanting to see the land beyond slowly emerge, but all at once as a surprising discovery. At the top she looks out: formless shapes and shades of black; even icy mountains loosing color in the moonless night. The blanketing drone of the wind over millions of heads of grass could be some vast alien ocean just out of sight; she herself might be on some sole island of land surrounded by wildly surging waves.

Somewhat dismayed at the lack of majesty, she turns back to the shack with its single glowing candle she had left in the corner of the window. "A pinpoint of light in all this night," a wry thought. It is her beacon home; home for an unknown duration.

Sometimes a thought can spread like the branches of a tree, running down each branching path until it blocks from your sight the rest of the world. So it is with Zelda and her thoughts run forking and complex. Even with the growing light of stars upon the grass and strips of reflected points in the far off windows, she trips. A rock, dug into the soft earth and obscured by tufts of grass, catches her feet on the way down. Suddenly she lies panting on her back after falling down several feet. Tall stocks jut into her view from all around. There, with the ache of a bruised back and skinned hands, the stars of the night sky fall upon her. The slap of icy water or the sting of burning coals could not have shocked her more. There they are, nestled in the hundreds, no, thousands. Chunks of crystal, twinkling and bringing clarity to an overwhelmingly lonely landscape. Dazed, the stars forced all thoughts from her head and she could only feel blessed to see such a display. She sits up and watches the stars fill the sky from horizon to horizon with dazzling light. And still the flame of the small candle burns a counter-point to the brilliance above. It seems to her then that there is some great meaning in the events of this day, some message hidden in the choices she made, and in the grand display of a day coming to an end. But there is no forthcoming answer to that thought and so she continues to sit and watch and be amazed.

………………………………….

Winter has come to the land, a blanketing expanse of snow that renders all uniform and pure. In this vast trackless land of white there is a single dot of brown with a plume of gray smoke drifting up from it.

Inside Zelda hums as she cooks her breakfast. There is a fire roaring in the fireplace and the windows sweat with dew. The place is no longer the gaping wreck it once was. There is a solid door, a wood box, a wooden stove and various tools and utensils built of wood and iron. Even Zelda is no longer the same. The last bit of fat has been melted off by this solitary living. She is lean and strong; her shoulders exhibiting signs of long days spent chopping wood. Despite the hardships she is happy and there is the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes, of fine days, one built upon the other. After breakfast she sits at the table with the harp out and plucks through a beautiful melody. Were there another living soul present they would find themselves plucked along as well, rising and falling with the notes, their emotions drawn out just as skillfully as the chords.

Later, the door is thrown open, a fur jacket donned and Zelda breaks path through fresh snow. Her path takes her up to the ridge and the simple hut she has built there. It's built of a wooden deck with grass-thatched walls on three sides and a wooden roof. Inside is an open pit and she starts a fire.

This has been her routine for more than a year and a half. At first it was a struggle to make it through the winter and not break down from the isolation. But over time she found solace in the turning of the seasons and displays of light each day. Zelda learned to quiet the gnawing anxiety of her lost kingdom and found things clearer and easier to understand. Sometimes she spend whole days up in this hut, thinking on the past, planning for the future, but mostly just enjoying being herself. The life of royalty, the death of her parents, the brief fight to win back everything; all faded before the wheeling of the sun over her little bowl of land. There were such beautiful things to be seen: the first snows of winter, when the tips of dead grass carried a light dusting of white; or almost overnight when the first green shoots of spring came up and the entire land was a green ocean, reflecting the bright sun; even fall had its special moments, like when she would pause in chores and look down the valley and see the lower mountains coated in red, orange and gold. Those were times she cherished.

But she still did not feel ready to return, and so she continued to sit and think and watch the days pass.

This day was particularly bright, the sun pouring down out of a blue sky upon the white snow. Zelda sits by the fire, the jacket thrown off, wearing only a shirt and leggings of leather. Her legs are crossed and she looks down at her tattoo, thinking about all that relates to it. Maybe it is the daily effort of paring away the unneeded thoughts or the clear air of the morning but suddenly she is able to see her situation quite clearly. She sees the strengths and weaknesses of her friends and enemies and what she wants to do. The Triforce starts to burn slightly and she rubs it absentmindedly.

All of a sudden Zelda is outside herself and watching strange events unfold. She sees herself back in Hyrule, making decisions. The future flows from those decisions, so that she sees a hundred different choices and a hundred different conclusions. She travels these alternate futures, where Gannon still rules and she is his slave. Some in which Hyrule is a smoking ruin and great armies fight in its rubble-strewn streets. There are some even where there is peace but she cannot see herself or Link in any of those. These branching lines become confusing and she fears to be lost among distant futures. Focusing, Zelda draws back to the near future where she can see herself making the journey back to her kingdom. There is a certainty about that future that feels right to her, that if she takes small steps in the right directions the future she wants can remain clear. She is correct, the vision of herself standing back on the edge of Hyrule`s borders remains solid.

With a deep breath she comes out of her trance. The glow of the Triforce starts to fade. With a certainty of purpose Zelda gets up and throws her jacket on. "Knowledge is power," she thinks, "power to act wisely. That is stronger than anything Gannon will ever possess." She is eager to rush back now, eager to see her old teacher`s face. As she races out of the hut and down the slope she slips and plants her face in a snow bank. She rises on one knee and brushes snow from her hair and eyebrows. "Small steps, Zelda, small steps."


	18. Year Six: Confessions at Deaths Door

Ah! There you are my friend. Not long for the world, eh? Do not worry, I have sent a good number of men and women ahead of you and I can assure you it is a quite natural process. No, no, don`t get up, I`ll take this chair in the corner. A joke? Yes, I`m afraid so, not a very good one though. With two broken legs, I imagine you will not be getting up at all.

Come here to gloat? No, my friend, you think the worst of me. I simply come here to talk and what better listener than one who cherishes his last few moments. The honor is yours, for my words are the truth and you shall pass this world enlightened.

I see you looking at my tattoo, yes my friend, it is power. Do you know what I had to do to acquire it? Ah, of course you don`t. But let me tell you that in a foreign land, in a terrible waste I lay in such a state as you do know. My body was dying, punctured with a hundred wounds and yet I had an epiphany. I saw how little death mattered, how little we all mattered in the endless cycle of things, But in that darkened chamber power came and it surged through me and I lived. Do you see? Death had no hold! So, my friend, death is such a small matter, be not afraid of it. I certainly am not and that belief has opened up so much possibility.

But I digress.

In my younger years, before I knew destiny would have me rule, I was content to walk the sands and dream. Such dreams I had; of growing old enough to travel the world and explore the different nations. The childish tales of legend sat high in my imagination and I wanted nothing more that to set foot outward and see those places; the great oceans said to stretch ten thousand miles, forests of trees where no sand lingers on the ground and mountains so high they catch tails of clouds and hold ice and snow in their crowns.

In those dreams were the hopes and innocence of my youth and when they were crushed they died to be buried under the mantle of leadership.

Can you imagine that? To build up such dreams for my life, such yearnings that resonated so clearly within me that I felt no other path in life would suffice. And on my 12th birthday, to be told I would never have the freedom I dreamed of, would never know another carefree day in my life. Do you know what I did? Nothing, because I am not one to delude myself in fantasies once I know they will never come true. From that moment, with the clarity of innocence lost, it came to me that the world would one day suffer in turn for destroying my dreams.

Later, my tutors, old women of the desert, wits addled by the blowing winds would lecture me long on the corruption of power. Me! After stealing my dreams they dared talk about bewaring the pull of power? No! The corruption of power comes from failing to use it fully! When you have an army of 10,000 hardened women, do you sit around guarding borders? No! You march upon your neighbors land and take it! When a kingdom with a prophesized power stands as a shining beacon against you, do you wage a frontal war, all against all? No! You use sedition, treachery, and underhanded tactics! And when you hold enough power to reshape the very fabric of the world, do you listen to the pandering advice of ancients who say great responsibility comes with great power? No! They did not spare a child his dreams and I will not spare the world theirs. With this power I will grasp every nation and squeeze until blood runs thick between my fingers.

Do you hear that? Yes, those winds moaning outside are the Northerlies. There will be a storm tonight, enough rain to wash way all the blood in the streets. And there was so much. Three nations rose against me, such hate in the air, it surprises me. They are so misguided and cannot see that with such power I am the rightful ruler of this world. Murderer, executioner you say? Yes, I have stretched out my finger and someone did die, but never without a reason. Never! Some deserved to die for plotting against me, some for daring to rebuild the kingdom as it once was. I will never have another control the development of my world!

A madman you say? Only angry, my friend, angry that the world is only one way and will not tolerate dreamers. I am no more than a realist willing to make a few sacrifices to keep power. I would say I am saner than you. It is insanity to fight against a god, madness to have any hope against my unstoppable might. I can only look upon you in pity that you have followed so many wrong choices.

I find it strangely soothing to tell you these things, but soon you will die and it will be as if I were talking to these dank, stone walls. Here is a gift, my friend who will soon know the kiss of oblivion. Deep in my heart, yes, yes I still have one. And no it is not shriveled and black. Deep in my heart is a sliver of hope, so small I cannot bear to think upon it lest it die away. Do you know what it is? I know the true power and strength of my hate; it has no equal in this world. And yet there is the most infinitesimal part of me that hopes there is one out there who can defeat me, and the person who does so will still be in possession of their hope, still believing in the good and the innocent. Strange, isn`t it, a silly thought. There is no such person anymore!

Oh, I see I`ve been wasting my time talking to you. How long have you been dead? And it was so nice to have such a rapt audience, even if you were in chains. But no matter, there are more prisoners in more nations to conquer. And if the raging storms are any indication the air will be clean tomorrow and the day will be exceptionally well for all of my plans.


	19. The return of the hero: pt1

There are some men borne of blood that lends itself far back to the ages of great kings who sat bejeweled upon splendid, golden thrones; war-scarred hands that laid order upon the lives of lesser men. There are some that feel the call of great deeds-the cowards and the brave alike- that in certain times fling all care away and dash to moments of great pivot. Some are thrust by the very hands of fate into a scalding fire; emerging anew cleansed of all remnants of former character. True to nature's neutral hand men of blackened hearts and twisted souls have risen to prominence through sheer force of will. But even those so callous to the triumphs of good that they would lend a boot heel to the face of a hero, even they feel the greatness of dipping into the pool of change and casting a hand out to paint the world anew.

But there are some men of rarer mind, where by constitution or by experience, would rather cast away the mantle of responsibility and prefer to sit away from the world, beneath a flowering oak and watch a bright moon glow through fluttering branches. And yet the world needs these melancholy men and women the most. For they posses a power greater than that which commands and that which leads and that which tyrannizes. It is the power of self-sufficiency, a kernel of personal truth that when saddled with the bridle of rule can only make the world more like themselves. They will not break the world asunder trying to right personal injustices, nor will they drive great cities over the bones of the old trying to outdo the past. These so rare heroes of quiet homes and peaceful villages do so well because they are so reluctant to do just that. Life, for them, has shown its face to be more than just black and white. To them, the great dragons of goodness and benevolence have razed their lands with righteous fire. To them, the small mice of deceit and vileness have crept in through cracks and open doorways, corrupting by inches the unwary people. So is it not understandable that they would be so reluctant to fight for either side?

……………………………..

In his mind's eye is the island where he spent so many years. "Close your eyes," the man had said, "imagine the island of your dreams." He did and suddenly the whisper of dried of grass filled his ears. There was a flicker of bright sunshine through his closed eyes and when he opened them he was in a small meadow and the limbs of thin trees blew back and forth in front of the sun. Link took a deep breath and smelled the tang of salt air. He went to the edge of the clearing and the bright blue of an endless ocean stood out between white trunks. "This, young man, this is what is possible when you set your mind to create. Delineate, shape, form this land, Link, and I will return."

Later the land would grow as Link would grow. It was a land of unsurpassable beauty; forested and flat over most, yet with a single towering peak of granite pushing up into the sky. Most of the land sloped into clear waters; bright reefs filled with teeming fish. But on one side was a sheer cliff face, thousands of feet of stomach-clenching drops. The water below roared and slashed against the base, a teeming maelstrom of white-capped, primal rushing. It was a part of the island not often visited by Link for he felt strangely that he had not willfully created it. But as he now wandered upland and in he felt an unraveling, a loosening of spirit and the lines around his eyes gradually relax. He spotted the black-tufts of deer far-off and paused to admire the glitters of diamonds sparkling off secret lakes with no trails disturbing the forests.

He wandered for weeks, adopting the habits of early youth spent with his father, hunting the tracks of wildlife and picking the blue berries that grew so fat and ripe. At night he stared at a small camp fire and watched its embers float up into a starry sky. The embers burned as brightly as did the flames of a burning Hyrule. But the far-off gaze faded and his smile grew wider as the stars were reflected in his eyes. In his dreams the island took shape. It was the first time in his life Link was given free reign of his own spirit and, like a wild horse given the whole of an uninterrupted prairie of grass, ran more freely than beings have a humanly right to.

At the base of the towering mountain he stopped. For two days he sat in the crook of a great cedar and thought. On the third day he opened his eyes as the sun warmed his face. His new home stood before him. It was feathery and light, floating amidst four great trees, resting on their long branches. There were windows to let in the mountain air and windows to view the great orb of the sun set fiery into the ocean. There was a great room for a library and many places to sit and view his creation.

On the fifth day after waking from his high hammock he felt something missing, some pang demanding release. He looked up at the high finger of rock, strapped his sword to his back and began to climb. He flew over the rocks of the lower slopes, climbing steadily upward on granite cliffs and finally seeing a window of sky so close he might whisper and the echo of it be there within a heartbeat. His excitement grew until his focus grew solely on the last ledge of rock. And then there was only the bluest of blue and hard rock beneath his heaving back. He sat for a while on his knees, letting the sight of his creation entertain his eyes. And a yell came forth that was full of passion and earnest yearning for life and it was several minutes before Link knew it was himself who had gave it birth.

The old man came and long they talked. Link's house filled with books; books written and not yet written. For one week his house burned at night with candles as their conversation flowed between questions and answers. Then one morning the man was gone and Link was alone, the only sound the whispering of green leaves and a solitary raven calling out to a red dawn.

………………………………….

Six and a half years passed in the solitude of Link's island. His thoughts grew as large as the mountain above and he knew the deep silence of someone comfortable with his own mind. The seasons came and went in brilliance succession; each change bringing about a brief flash of energy within link so that he lived for the very breath of nature. There was the gold, reds and flaming oranges that burned through the forests and the time of falling when he ran through showers of leaves. In the deep winter, when the land lay buried in snow, Link sat before a warm fire and read. He spent long hours in shallow flurries, dancing with the sword, learning to move as gracefully as drifting snow flakes. In the springs he would leave his high house and spend the time among budding life, watching flowers bloom and animals stumble about wide-eyed at the over-flowing greenery.

Thus did he live and this did he grow, by his own efforts. It was a different man who greeted the sage at the end of his time. He didn't say anything for a long while and the old man walked around the house, looking at wood carvings and the neat and tidy rooms. Finally Link spoke, "I'm ready to go back." And the old man smiled and snapped his fingers.


	20. The return of the hero: pt2

Bright, so bright. A glint, cold and steely, coming fast. Hurtling and spinning towards. React! Hand up, fingers catch the object, turn and pivot, hurtling it back. Straight and true, piercing cry, red blood spurting. Eyes blink, large black shadow cries, rushes, sword out. Instinct draws, metallic rasp, heavenly pure. Dodge and return, blood again. All is silent. Breathe and ….

A hero has returned. Link stands on the pedestal of Time once again, once again bathed in the sweet beams of light and once again feeling the slight reverence for the builders of this temple. But his return is marred by the bright streaks of blood that cover one wall. He looks down at his sword and sees the red tip and remembers. Around him lie two bodies; ungodly beasts of men that more resemble the nightmares of monsters. He sheathes the sword and notices how light it feels.

The plucking of the most divine music fills the room. It is so natural and fitting for the temple that Link thinks it some demon trapped in the walls forced to forever play this enchanting melody. But then a heel scrapes and he crouches into a draw, hand on hilt.

"Wait," cries the figure, holding a hand out. The other holds a harp beautifully worked in gold. "I am not your enemy Link." The figure wears the blue and white robes of Sheik, though tightly fitted. The voice is deep, a man's, and slight wisps of golden hair peek out of the cloth that partially conceals his face. Link must pause and think, recalling the girl that once met him on Fire Mountain. "I….Who are you?"

The man holds out a hand, as if to go to Link, but shakes his head and snatches it back, folding it into a fist. "I am simply Sheik, no more, no less. You have twice saved my life here today and I welcome you, Hero of Time. Seven years is a long time and I imagine you have many questions."

"Seven years! I..no…but I remember a blue world….a man..nothing..no…seven years?" His hand is up and Link sees for the first time veins that stand upon his skin, a sure sign of childhood gone. He notices how high he stands and the new bulkiness of his muscles and how effortlessly he draws his sword. With haste he pulls his shield down and looks into its mirrored surface. A different man looks back; clear blue eyes, yes, but a leaner face, surer and strong. "What has happened to me?"

……………………….

_The old man snapped his fingers as he smiled. "Link, hear these last words of mine. Peace is so rare a gift, so hard to achieve and once gotten so hard to tolerate. You have done exceedingly well with the peace I have given you. Many men, given the power to create would have chosen more fantastical visions and filled it with people to command or be commanded by. That this vision of an island is as beautiful as it is natural reflects the contents of your soul and I am pleased to have chosen rightly with you. I know what you have gone through and have a good idea what you will face. Thus it was the decision to give you a span of time where you would know only your heart's contentment. _

_Men, Link, you, me, women and children, all have such possibilities, but they only need a chance to grow. I have seen in my lifetime the overzealousness of good and know how quickly high aspirations turn to evil. It would surprise you to know that when I lived I was not that different from Gannon. So I well love a man that would war with the words of dictators, stoop to pick a falling man and put aside the chance of love to help a nation. Ah but I am rambling and could fill your ear with much more but here it is Link: you have done well with my gift. Few have ever known a span of peace in their lives and cherished it so well. But I am sorry to say you will never remember it. Memories in this realm do not transfer, though your body and spirit will know, your mind will draw only blackness. Goodbye, Link, and good luck."_

……………………………….

"Yes, Link, you were gone seven years. But now you have returned and Hyrule needs you more than ever. Gannon has stretches his hand over many nations and rules with a black heart. There is a resistance but it is hidden and small. Remember, Link, remember your friends and the people you fought for. Some still live and some still struggle to fight. Go to Lake Hyrule and you will be met by friends. Please, Link, remember your promise." Sheik turned to go.

"Wait! What of the princess? What of Zelda? Does she yet still live?" There is desperation in his voice and his body is rigid, waiting for the answer. Sheik does not turn around, only raises his head slightly and whispers "she is gone." His arm comes up and down and a blue cloud of smoke engulfs his figure. When it clears he is gone as well.

…………………………….

He sits on the podium with arms clasped behind his head, bowed to his knees and lets out a long and agonized roar. For a time he sits in silence, still surrounded by the two black bodies. But he raises his head and sets a grim smile and steps out of the room. It is how he remembers; raised dais for the gems and the decorations encircling the pillars and walls. But there is dust on every surface and many boot prints wandering the length of it. "Navi!," he calls, but there is no answer. In the corner is his old pack and inside the things of his youth. He touches the Ocarina fondly and hesitates as if to try a few songs. But it is not the time and he shoulders the pack again and walks fast for the door.

There is a particular feeling of sadness that occurs when one sees a sight that was once so familiar rendered into the strange and ruined. A more artistic temperament might see the destruction of beauty or the loss of so much architectural history. But Link thinks first of the hot bread and cold milk he used to get with his father and of the bright colors and warm smiles of the people. But then he wakes to the reality of Hyrule.

What Gannon had destroyed nature reclaimed.

The ruins across from the temple are wreathed in vines, the green lines crossing and crisscrossing over jagged masonry. Over its broken roof a purple sky stands witness as the sun sets in the west. He takes in the sight of Hyrule Castle still encased in shining white crystal and cannot think. He sees the flagstones of the street pushed aside as strong saplings grow up into the sky and cannot speak. Link looks into shattered homes and sees skeletons clutching each other, huddling in the corner and he cannot imagine. He climbs the remains of a mask shop and looks over the skyline towards the once magnificent gate and cannot cry. Tall crowns of Deku trees spread out over crumbling roofs and thick arms of green vines squeeze once-elegant manors. There are dark red flowers sprouting out of the vines but they are withered and filled with thorns as if corrupted by the evil done to the town. And under his gaze dark shapes fly from gigantic tree to gigantic tree, emitting a piercing cry that echoes off dark alleys and weed-choked rooms.

Link feels a desperate need to flee this dark city. He sets off at a run for the eastern gate, jumping rubble and bunches of vines. At passing intersections he catches glimpses of far-off shapes and glowing red eyes that vanish around corners. The purple sky fades into twilight and soon Link must light a single candle for Navi no longer flies at his shoulder. Finally he reaches the main courtyard where a single twisted and gnarled tree has shot up through the fountain and spread piercing branches into the fronts of shops and homes. He pauses to remember the warmth of life that once flowed through this area. Suddenly there is a loud hum like some wrathful god working into anger. It shakes his bones and Link whirls around and around, seeking the sound.

There is a sound like wood tearing and behind him the large tree opens a mouth. "Ahh, there you are boy. Come to save another life? Come to give nature a helping hand? Well, I think not!" And the great tree shakes and long splinters of wood come tearing out of its mouth. Link slashes every one out of the air and without thinking throws the candle into its mouth. There is a thump and the ground shakes. The booming voice comes again, "So. So. So you think to save me? Or destroy me? It is always so with your kind. Your small, weak kind. We great trees need only to breathe and you would be crushed. Drink your own destruction boy and forget you ever saved one of our kind."

The tree opens wider and a great sucking wind comes forth. It pulls less at Link's body and more at his mind. There is a great agony of spirit and Link howls uselessly against its pull. There is a ripping and Link feels a small part of him pulled out. He goes to his knees and when he stands again there is a figure before him. It is like a man but ripples entirely with a metallic sheen. In fact Link can see himself not only in it's burnished skin but it's shape and outline look surprisingly like his own! Both stand still. Link raises his sword and dashes at the strange man. It does so as well and both clash with a mighty clang. The fighting flow comes effortlessly to Link and a brief bit of admiration too at his skill. But no matter the cut or stab he cannot get the better of this mirrored foe.

Finally he jumps back and so does the figure. Above Link there is a great cry and when he looks up the branches of the tree are covered by thousands of black birds. It is all too strange and overwhelming and Link turns to flee. But as he does there is a cutting pain across his back. The metallic figure had cut him as he turned! Link stumbles but catches himself and flees out the gate, pursued by the cackling of birds and a sound of laughter like hammers hitting hard on an anvil. Night has come down and there are no stars to light his path and he stumbles wildly into the darkness, fleeing a world gone mad.


	21. burning words in the night

Oh dark sky! Oh strange world! What madness greets me at every turn? I cannot but look at this sad and failing land without recoiling in disgust. Time? I am lost to Time! I do not even have the memories to gently cushion the tearing imagery around me. And this body, this face! I peer into the clear waters and see a stranger, a man wrought of magic I cannot fathom. His eyes are mine and his fingers bring the very same sensation of touch to my cheeks. But there is a gap! Why, oh why don't I know? There, in the stars! When I look up at their twinkling light I can almost feel the shape of some lost memory; a deep peace, so fleeting. But it is gone and there is still the blood of my fresh awakening upon my sword and the beating ache of my heart, the throbbing reminder of that accursed tree's howling gale. And, oh goddess, those three words, "she is gone!" The one single line of hope that carried me through those burning nights-gone. Am I alone then? And if I am, what does it matter what I do? Everything is lost and there seems no good left. Perhaps the world would be better off if I….."

The corner of the parchment burns slowly, eating the hastily scribbled words of Link's. He sits before a small fire looking at his hands and not knowing where those words came from, only that he needed to get them out. Bits of paper, single burnt words, go floating off into the darkness, so that the remains of Link's confused thoughts come to rest on the surrounding grass. The rains will come tomorrow, turn the words into mushy ash and sink them down into the rich earth. That flowers might some day bloom through the confused efforts of this dark and despairing night touch not upon Link at all. In time he stirs the fire apart, shrugs his gear on and sets off towards what he once knew as Hyrule Lake.

….

Eye pressed to eye in the glittering dark, tinged with the fading light of the forgotten sun. The shimmer of autumn fire presses around his face. Hot breath pulses agonizingly over his cheeks and a cold, steel blade trembles against his neck with the gentle caress of a lover's embrace. A feral growl rumbles deep and lips part in an animal's snarl. Against his body every muscle quivers for release and in green eyes once so full of love Link finds only the promise of death.

And upon that brink comes the memory of a young girl in a field of grass.

From his lips comes a tune of frolicking summers and gentle, blowing winds; a tune once heard from a very lovely, young girl. "Malon," comes the barest whisper, Link not trusting the very sharp knife at his neck.

The oh so wild eyes blink, and then slowly leave the edge of madness, focus and touch upon his face. Her features soften for the barest moment and the knife leaves his neck. But the hardness returns to her mouth and there is a sharp blur of her hand and a seeping line of red oozes down his cheek.

"That boy is dead,' says the auburn-haired beauty, getting off the sprawled Link. She slips the dagger into her belt and as the poison sinks Link into a world of darkness he sees her turn and give a high cry. 'Still so beautiful,' he thinks and then all is gone.

….

Link opens his eyes to grotesque shadows dancing upon a brilliantly sparkling cave wall. They are cast by a roaring fire, around which three men lift and handle his sword and shield. In anger he rushes these men. He falls just short of the fire and the men all turn and laugh. "Look before you leap, stranger," says one and strides over to cut his ankle bonds.

"Welcome to our home, if your aims be of friendly nature. If you be one of Fa'el's dogs, a damned spy, then you'll find the welcome of eternity tonight my friend." The man smiles but his eyes betray no friendliness. Link sits up and massages his ankles, looking around. There are several adjoining caves, all sporting camp fires with sooty smoke spiraling up and out of tiny holes far above in the ceiling. The dark shapes of men are joined by the larger ones of Goron and the smaller ones of the Zora, who even in the flickering light shimmer with a faint wetness.

"Well, my friend, you've found the resistance or we've found you it sounds. The red-haired beaut who brought you in is Malon, but don't get any ideas. She'd sooner cut you than smile. But first we must sort out why you carry the sword and shield of the hero who died on the first day of the war. If you've been grave-robbing there'll be no leniency from me. Come! Fess up!"

Link stands, takes in all the men and women gathered around and strides towards the leader. The man's sword comes halfway out but Link's hand is already on his chest and with full force the man hits the wall. Link grabs his sword and sings it out of the scabbard. The fire-light gleams over its blade and he rams it straight down into the rock floor. In the silence comes his voice, "I am Link and this is my sword and this is my shield." All eyes fall upon his exposed sleeve, at the three, golden triangles that glow radiantly against his skin.

It is long before the questions cease and Link spends many hours around the fire talking to the people gathered and learning what has happened in his absence. Occasionally one or two approach and touch the Triforce, as if some great myth had come true before their eyes. Finally they appear satisfied with his answers and he has in turn gained some knowledge of the previous years. He rises and walks towards the entrance to these caves, feeling with a certainty that he has one more person to talk to even if that person is no longer the same.

….

He steps from the caves into a glowing night. Fire-flies buzz about in blinking green lights. Before and around stretch lightly wooded lands and off through thinly-spaced trees he can make out the shimmer of Hyrule Lake. Except for the distant drone of hushed conversation coming from the caves all is silent. Link walks off towards the lake, threading his way through trees. He finds the edge of that great lake, the moon above shimmering in the waters below and all dotted by flying green embers.

Long he stands and thinks; when of a sudden he makes out a distant horse running far up the edge of the lake. It wears the white emblem of some distant memory and it brings the summer tune to Link's lips. The horse shifts tracks and make directly for Link. It breaks mere feet from a surprised Link who holds out a hesitant hand. The horse approaches slowly and whuffs his hand, then with a tenderness so out of place stretches out a nose to scratch Link's cheek. He strokes the soft fur of the horse's flank and gives it a few strokes along its broad forehead. "Epona?" he wonders.

"Only one other knew that song and he's been gone for seven years." They are hard words coming from a woman appearing out of the dark forest. "Where did you hear that, stranger?" The knife in her hand gives the question seriousness hard to mistaken.

With a hand on Epona's mane he turns and answers, "Once, long ago, a young girl, sitting beside a young boy, alone at night in the fields of her father, whispered it thinking the boy at her side paid no attention. But that boy could not help but follow her every move, so lovely was she even then. That boy kept that whistled tune, in memory and song, a reminder of that long ago girl."

The horse jolts, Link looks up to see the woman charging him with dagger held high, screaming, 'Liar! Link's dead." Link jumps back, catching her hand and falling together upon the sandy shore. The dagger comes closer and closer to Link's throat and as his hand lies on hers, holding the dagger from plunging in, his wrist brace slides down, exposing his tattoo. Her eyes go wide and suddenly the dagger lies in the dirt and she runs away into the dark.

Link chases her up a rocky hill over the lake. At the top she stands on the very edge, both hands clenched at her sides, facing away into the shimmering waters. "Malon, I am that boy. Malon, it's me, Link." He steps closer and lays a light hand upon her shoulder. She turns and in the starlight her tears glisten. "You were dead." And she jerks her shoulder free from his hand.

This time she whirls to face him. "You were supposed to save us! You were supposed to save me! You were the hero! And I loved you. Do you know how long I waited, how often I went to that destroyed city and sat in the windows of ruined houses watching and waiting for you to emerge from that damn temple? Oh! You were our hope and you were our dreams and when you didn't appear we lost it all. Sure we struggle here in the darkness, in the caves and hidden places of once proud Hyrule but it is only a prolonged death! Link, where were you when we needed you? We needed you so much, I needed you. And then we lost the princess and there has been no light at all for us. You don't know how bad it's been, how the despair lingers in everything we do, how children born have no hope for the future. I have nothing of that young girl left in me, she is gone Link. She died the day you disappeared!"

The words stung him deep, every pain a year he would never recover. But he was here now, and if he ever felt a beginning was needed it was right here, right now. So he sprang to Malon and captured her arms tightly. "Look at me, Malon! It's me Link! I am here. I am sorry for those lost years and wish I could make it up to you. But its me here, breathing and holding you. You are still that child that was so full of life and hope. It is only that Gannon has fooled you so much that you think there is no chance of goodness. There is and we need only try!"

Malon slips slowly to the rocky ledge, sitting against Link as he holds her tightly. She reaches up and cups his face gently. "Oh, Link you were gone so long." Her voice is so tinged with joy and sadness that Link must look into her eyes. There, in those deep and bright green eyes is a glimmer of that young girl who once told Link what love was. "It's okay," Link says, "I'm back for good."

Epona stands in the back, her mane softly blowing in the wind. The fireflies still blink greenly in the night and the waters of the lake reflect the soft moon above. The two sit together silently, Link stroking Malon's red hair and feeling a sudden fierce determination to protect this woman who came so close to losing her self. And if Link were to put words again to paper it might end something like "There is still good left in the night and perhaps the world would be better off if it had people to fight for it"


	22. The Final Words of a Tragic King

_Author's Note: Some days I emphasize with Gannon more than any other character. I mean, here's a man who had been thrust into leadership when all he wanted was a peaceful life. And unlike games where he appears already evil, there is a reason why he's that way. I always imagined that there was a bit of goodness or some dutiful feeling in him. Like all he wanted was power enough to make the Gerudo great. Not conquer the world; or is that the same goal? Anyway, there's a bit of a homage to Ernest Hemmingway hidden somewhere within. Also im going to start moving on to the temples. bosses and more sages. BUT i have lots of ideas for chapters that don't involve those. i.e. side-tracking, descriptive stuff. Leave some comments if you'd rather see one or the other. Thanks!_

Behind me the drifting sands slowly fill in and obscure my backward tracks. The sand dunes hump and roll like some heaving sea and already I have covered more land and crossed more horizons than any of my people. What moon is this? The 25th? One month then since I left my Gerudo, my busy mothers and sisters. Already I have gone through my packed rations and live off the land like my early kin before we ever united into one tribe. I hunt fat lizards and small birds that dwell in crumbling rocks; all by the night shine. The sweet water of my life is gotten from small plants and so to conserve it I walk at night when the undulations of the sands blend together in the darkness, looking like the black ink that dots these pages.

…

_Link looks up from dusty pages, starring up into the starry sky and then down at Malon, who sleeps peacefully at his feet. He had almost forgotten about this ancient tome; its pages splattered with the occasional drops of blood and towards the end such darkly fanciful drawings that he hesitates to look too long at them. But he settles back against the tree, moves the candle closer and resumes reading._

…

I fear that as I move further into this great, trackless waste I grow closer to some unspeakable doom, some future moment where a single mistake and my bones will decorate the unpitiful landscape. A fear? Should a man who commands 10,000 proud and fierce women of the desert let some small uncertainty wiggle into his heart? Yet I hear the rasping sands and feel the scorching heat outside my little tent and cannot help but feel that the long arm of eternity stands in my shadow. And I shiver to think how badly my people call for a leader, a hero to lead them out of the dusty ages and into a new life; and shudder to imagine what would happen if I fail: just another lifeless skull staring up into blue skies and fading to dust under some fool's trodding heel. But then I wake up to reality and that can never be; for I am Gannondorf and I shall leave my name written in glory, or, signed in blood, carved through the entrails of history.

…..

She was the first thing I saw. Through my cracked eyelids, and through the open flaps of this strange tent, I saw her. She was seated upon the sands just outside, wrapped to her shoulders in a blanket most beautifully decorated. She faced east, looking to the growing sunrise, and I felt that as the light bloomed upon that face, so too did my heart. For in watching the beauty of nature unfold, her face was guileless, open and completely sincere. She had long, jet-black hair, bundled at the nape, that dangled freely, stirring in the slight morning air. Her face is angular yet not hard; ah it so hard to say. Perhaps pressed I would say elegant like my own trained desert hawks. But, and for the first time in my life, I feel compelled in no way to try and tame one like her, as if she is some great wild spirit and I must run as fast as I can to keep up. Then she turned away from the fully risen sun and I saw her eyes, and they are purple, speckled with the tiniest flashes of gold.

Ahh! Then I remember that I am alive! So captivated was I that I forgot the dire circumstances I last found myself in. I had been walking for more than three days without food and water, three days over the barest nothingness of sand I had ever seen. I came to a single large rock and sat down in the shade to die, a fitting end to a king who threw away the hope of his people on a fantasy, a whisper of a dream. I remember going to sleep thinking it was the last. And yet I woke to this woman, saved by her and her tribe.

They are a tribe of nomadic wanderers. Leaving their homes and traveling for years at a time; gathering things to trade, stories to tell and sights to fill the room in their imagination. For they are truly a philosophical people, given to silent times staring long at the stars or finding strange peace in the airy and desolate regions. They've accepted me so easily- no mistrust or fighting for leadership, and until I am better they bring me food and welcome me at the nightly fire. There is no longing for war yet they hunt; they have no great love for buildings or settlements yet the statues they carve are so beautifully wrought and their tents so finely built. That so strange and alluring woman, who's name is Wah'le, coincidentally meaning New Sun, tried to explain it in my tongue. "Our insides," she said, pointing to my head and heart, "have a great stillness in them, like a calm lake. When they are like a mirror they reflect who we are perfectly upon the outside world." And when they are not, I asked. She pointed quietly to the scars on my hands and back that I had so proudly won.

I am healing now and should be ready to move on in a few days. And yet there is a part of me that wants to linger, to hear more of their words. For there is a strange peace in me that I have not felt for many years.

I feel young again, like I have seen fewer than 10 cycles of the seasons again, like the line of responsibility that stretches from my hands and neck to my people slowly stretches and is near to breaking. Ahh, to shrug off all cares! But still my feet plod on towards that uncertain rumor.

…

I sat with her in the corner and listened to her stories while the elders argued. The places she had been to took shape before my eyes and I wanted so badly to go and see them then. I had never been to places where the roads were frozen and hard as iron, where it was clear, cold and dry and the snow was deep and powdery and deer-tracks in the snow and the people dipped their hats to you and smiled. I had never seen dark and tall forests of shining green leaves, where wide oceans stretched from the shores of black sands and men sailed upon the very waves. And her home- stuck high in stark, rough cliffs- pointed needle trees collecting the high mists and the sun, forever setting into a sea of clouds.

I had been to no such places, only to smoky tents and nights in the wide deserts where stars wheeled overhead and you needed to look down at the sands to quell those high feelings; nights in camp, half-asleep, when you know the world is all it will ever be, and the strange excitement of waking to a desert sunrise and not knowing the memories of yesterday and the world all unreal in the golden dawn and everything so exciting and new. Suddenly to remember and all that had been there gone and everything sharp and hard and clear and down comes the mantle of kingship again. Sometimes there is niceness and sometimes disobedience, but it is good to have the power; but then there is another night and then another day.

I tried to tell her about the desert nights and the difference between the night and day and how the night was better unless the sky of the day was very blue and one had seen the sunrise and I could not tell it; as I cannot write it now. But if you have seen it you know. She had seen it and understood what I wanted to say. She seemed always to know what I sought for and what, when I found it, I was always able to forget so quickly. That is why I love her.

In the meantime we enjoyed each other's company, finished our meal and the elder's continued to argue on. Winter comes and I may weather it out amidst the tribe.

…..

Wah'le presses me to write, though my mother tongue fades and the language of the wanderers now invades my dreams and I think in their fashion as well. It has been over a year since I last wrote and Wah"le is still as beautiful and I have won her heart. It is late summer here at the edge of the sands and the nomads prepare to travel to the seas and over water to their home, Wah'le's home, my home.

This is the last record of Gannondorf and I will leave it here in the wastes to bear silent witness. For I have found happiness and a better life among these people. Is it not right to create a path for myself here? I feel a twinge in my heart but then Wah'le looks my way and the clashing of swords and blood in the sands fade and there is only the bright excitement of new lands and a future with her. Thus ends the rule of Gannondorf of the Gerudo.

…..

In my hands. Her black hair tangled in my knotted fingers. In my arms she died. And the tears will not come! Why? Why, when blood flows so easily won't such a little thing like tears even come! The sun rises again, the light blooming on her peaceful face, so like the first time I saw her. For a single second I can imagine she's sleeping, a single moment. Then the deep gash in her side bubbles and I choke and scream. Can I keep writing? I must! The new sun brings more light to the scene and the five dead Gerudo women come into sharper focus. Gerudo, my Gerudo, so far from home, and killed my love!

They came in the night, finally tracking me down; and thinking me captive they attacked and slaughtered all who slept so peacefully. Oh Goddess! They stuck swords through their bellies as they slept! And I waking to the screams, so easily slipped into the habits of old, cutting down the five Gerudo who simply kneeled down before me. Blood, it has found me again, tainted the waters I had thought so clean! I must bury them all.

The sun has set and the deed is done. "100 women" the Gerudo had whsiperered, 100 women set out to find me. 5 out of 100 survived! But they didn't, I rewarded their loyalty and bravery with an agonizing death. Is this my reward for seeking peace? Is this my punishment for trying to find happiness?

There is no more beauty for me in the stars. So be it. If fate brings me blood to drown my love, I will bring the vengeance of power to drown out the rights of those in the world who dare to love and think their lands safe and at peace. Oh, let the heavens mark my words, the world will one day tremble at my name and people will come before my throne and kneel, begging "please, sir, mercy." I shall look down at their pitiful faces, stained with the tears of despair and whisper no.

…..

This record continues for proof that I was never lost to the madness but deliberately sought the power that is so rightfully mine. I stand now upon the threshold of a dark and whispering stairwell that descends into the depths. I have found the temple of power. From tales told by the dead nomads I wandered North through long, red canyons- days and days of echoing, empty footsteps. Finally the canyon opened up into a bowl of land and across its barren sands lay a black portal where I now stand. Cut into the rock above the doorway are twisted glyphs which read, "Because you can does not mean that you must." I lay aside this book now and prepare to enter.

….

I pause now to write this final account before returning as it will be my last and give the only true account of what happened.

I descended the steps into complete darkness, trusting that some light would appear. Half the day I spent going down before a small, blue glow appeared. The stairs ended and I found myself in a small chamber of rough stone with only a small raised pool of water at one end. The blue glow came from the water. I approached, the light went out and I fled back to the steps. But I found only solid walls and my yells echoed off into the black void.

Suddenly I felt a great pressure drive me to my knees and I felt frozen as if paralyzed. Above me and all around boomed a great noise and I felt my death had arrived.

But all cleared and the universe appeared above me. Millions and millions of stars and planets whirled around me until all sensation of time vanished. Slowly three great flares of light appeared and grew large before my eyes. They resolved into three flaming figures who looked down so disdainfully on me. Two of them looked at the third and then flared through me and out of sight. The third flaming figure approached, stretched out a burning hand upon my brow. Such pain I had never known, and yet through the searing agony came images as though they were words. The figure seemed to be presenting two choices. One: of a planet, a connected web of life and how the smallest change affects even the smallest creatures. It was an overflowing array of life and flashes of the links that lie between us all. It ended with empty hands and a stairway up to bright sky.

The second: War, blood, strife and smoke. A grasping fist and the steel cut of violence. But there was also the grim smile of satisfaction and a gleam of power in bright eyes. It ended with the figure bursting into fire.

All disappeared and I stood again in a small room, but now it was bathed in the most dazzling of golden radiance. I stepped up and looked into the pool. And there , floating above the surface of the liquid, was a single golden triangle.

…

There was pain, eons of pain and tearing agony so that I almost lost consciousness. But I would not lose to any man, even if it was a god. Over and over I shouted my name though clenched teeth and thought of blood on the sand and how I would one day stand over a burning world. It all ceased and I laid like the dead. An energy came into my heart and I stood, seeing the small room now a gigantic, ancient castle buried under the sands. And I walked up into the light of day and stood borne anew.

There is a mark now upon my hand and it is my power. I can feel it course through my body and move through the sands at my feet. I breathe deep and the world pulses as if obedient to my whims. I stretch my hand forth, demanding the first obedience and the sands at my feet part, revealing the gnashing teeth of twisted desert creatures. They sniff my hands and bow low. They are the first, and as I stand in front of this dark temple I see now the future and I see the thousands that will bow at my feet. These are the last words of Gannondorf, for now I will return to my small kingdom and plan. No more words now when I have a new world to create.


	23. A Ship Upon Dark Waters pt 1

The waters of the lake lap softly at the sandy shore as the sun leaves its last gift of gold beaten down upon the watery surface. Two figures stand, hand in hand, silhouetted black with the land. They wait in silence, watching with the beat of their hearts echoing palm to palm. Darkness comes down finally, turning the lake faceless; a mass of sound. One leans closer to the other and whispers her words, "Is this not worth fighting for?"

"Link, sit down. It will be a few moments before they show themselves," Malon says, tugging his hand. They sit apart, Malon drawn up tight, knees to chest while Link unconsciously runs his fingers over the inlay of his sword. Malon speaks, "Sometimes I forget that you have been absent for so long, You have missed some very cataclysmic times and I see it in your face when you look at my own that must be so haggard with strife."

Link raises a hand to speak but Malon continues, "No, no, I know what lovely words you would say. I guess it is only how I feel on the inside. And I am envious Link, when I see that bit of peace behind your eyes. Is that the price you paid? Years of your life and memory?" A long sigh and she continues, "Lake Hyrule, once a gem of our lands, sparkling with ten thousand crystals in the sun. It's beauty rivaled by the grace and nobility of the Zora who inhabited its depth. Kings and Queens, along with the commoners, would come for a breath of its grandeur and leave fuller than they had come. But now," and she paused, closing her eyes tight, "now it is a graveyard."

"Gannon came and drained the lake, slaughtering the denizens of its coral caves. For years it was a muddy hole, the kingdom of the Zora sticking up like so much bleached bones in a swamp. But now his minions inhabit it, and they filled it again with glittering water, but it is not the same. The beauty is lost when death and destruction ride its waters."

No sooner were these words spoken than a glowing spot of light appears around a rocky point midway down the lake. "That," Malon whispers, "is why the Zora no longer sing beneath the waves.

The orange light slides over the water, following the shore and drawing nearer and nearer to the two seated figures. Slowly its form is revealed and Link shouts, "It is a ship!" And it is a ship, but not one meant to sail gloriously ahead of the wind, but a murderously evil galleon plodding through the waves, bearing only the vile and treacherous. It draws even nearer and Link can make out a giant bonfire burning on the decks and the forms of men and beasts dancing around it. A symphony of laughter, screams and guttural songs clang across the water. Even nearer; a flash of blood and then a splash as a black body drops into the still waters; the gleaming smile of a carved monstrosity that sits astride the bow, forever leering; and now the roaring bonfire, painting the dancing bodies in orange flame and revealing a fang, a horn, gleaming swords, sharp teeth, scar-filled faces-all rendered in dancing shadow in the midst of the shadowed dance.

The ships draws even with Link and Malon, seems to pause and then from the side a puff of smoke and roaring echo and a cannonball flies over their heads. Malon flings an arm across Link's shoulders, "Stay Link, they merely fire to frighten the resistance. They know not that we are here." True to her word the ship continues its plunging course, circling the shore and starting back towards the point.

After its glow had faded to a small circle of orange upon the waters Link turns and asks, "Who was that solitary figure, standing alone on the upper deck?" Malon responds, "That is the captain of that hellish boat and a fiend in every way. They say that he once betrayed his own people and was rewarded richly by Gannon. But that is a hard man that drives that ship round and round, never stopping, Forever circling, forever stirring haunted waters, forever holding the person you need. For on that ship, Link, deep in the black cabins, is the first sage."

They talk further of plans and daring actions, their whispers blending in with the leaves that flutter together over the once more dark lake.

….

"It is a good wind today," says Malon, looking over the stretch of open, desecrated ground between the forest and the camp of orc-men. The winds pick up the red streamers in her hair and around her arms, rippling them out towards the scarred land. In this gray early morning, the slender arms of mist curl around the bare earth; the broken stumps of trees and the dead carcasses of animals are half-hidden in hazy white. She can see the smoldering camp-fires and wooden structures of crude design half-hidden among the many sleeping forms of the orcs. Beyond are the wind-swept waters of Lake Hyrule, dull and ugly under such a gray sky.

With a deep breath she raises her bow, stretching it open to the skies and sighting the arrow on the floating clouds that rim the horizons. Her ribbons arc and flutter in the winds and she watches them briefly, gauging the conditions of the day. Finally she whispers to the men crouched at her feet, "Go swiftly my friends. Be under by nightfall and ready for its nightly passing. Link, I'll look gladly for your return.

Link nods and turns to the burly man to his left, "Light her up Barin." The man grunts loudly and holds up a torch to light her arrow. It flames up bright and before the heat even reaches her face, Malon holds it aloft and releases. It traces a long and smoky flight up and over and into the very camp of the orcs. One early riser, patrolling the small patch of twisted trees looks up at the growing ball and the last thought that goes through his head is of falling suns. The arrow plunges through his throat and falls into a store of gunpowder, exactly where Malon aimed.

The ball of exploding fire throws scores of orcs high and wide. The five men rise and begin to run along the scarred ground, picking up speed and crashing into the confused orcs. Barin, holding a large axe, lays about him with great power and yelling in a loud voice, "four, five, six. My foes fall before the Lord's might. Repent, you ugly, godless orcs and I might anoint thine heads with some holy psalms before this axe pardons your life. You hear that Ferod, my brother? Ten now, and hardly am I slowing down!"

A thin, tall man in all black slips in and out of fights, barely appearing in one spot before disappearing again. He wields two short swords that slide into the backs of enemies and down they go. "Ten Barin? I am on eighteen while you fill the air with words. What of you, Gon?"

"Three lie dead but as you can see I have driven nearly four score to their backs, ribs broken and legs twisted. I appear to be in the lead." This from Gon, a man dressed in colorful robes and dancing about with a long lance. He whirls around without stopping, thudding enemies far away. "What say you my very slow brother?"

The last brother simply holds up his open hands five times and the others laugh loud and hard. This is Kol, wielding only his bare arms and feet. He stands among his brothers but hardly moves, shifting only when an enemy brings a weapon upon his person. He counters a hundred times, each time leaving the enemy spitted with their own weapons. He is flowing grace and Link is impressed in the brief moments he catches sight of it.

But Link is surrounded most of all, the enemy pressing all about. The dance comes easy; the parrying and dodging, the countering and cutting of flesh. Soon he ceases to think and instead looses himself to the icy void of battle. It is a new sensation and he learns without realizing it, picking up new movements from his wily enemies. But the enemy presses heavier and heavier and Link is soon pressed back to the very edge of the lake. The four brothers see this and rush towards Link. They fight and batter, pushing with great strength through the wall of orcs. Once they reach him they all strive for a great cave door that sits in the middle of their camp.

Arriving at an arcing wall of rock inset with a door, the group rush to open it. "Damn these grunting pigs! There are too many!" This from Ferod who stares hard at the approaching wall of enemies. They all swear and pull heavily on the door. Kol steps back, clasps his brothers once on the shoulders and turns towards the orcs. With swiftness he begins to wade into the orcs, felling them left and right.

The others get the door open but Link turns back to help Kol. "No lad! He buys us precious time. It is his choice. We must go!" And so saying Barin pulls Link through by the sleeve of his shirt. But Link shrugs him off and dashes out and back, pulling in a near unconscious Kol in with him. So the door closes. But, as they lean gasping on dark, moist walls the last breath of Kol fades through his mouth and he departs.

….

Thus falls the first; the silent man of the high plateaus, Kol. Youngest of four but most widely traveled, he so loved the very air of nature that he never settled and roamed all the lands. Let him be remembered for black ink paintings that he so lovingly drew.

….

The five are now four, and with guttering torches they start down into the yawning depths, the last of the light slipping over their fallen brother. The tunnel is smooth, etched with an eon of sifting water. Here and there Link reaches a hand out and traces strange, twisting grooves. "These marks, Link," points Barin with his torch, "those are the nails of the Zora, made when Gannon opened great pits under this lake. They clutched these very walls tight but were dragged tooth and claw down in the end." Barin raises the torch higher and there on the ceiling are hundreds of long, jagged grooves. It makes Link shutter briefly.

The air grows stale and the torches flicker increasingly. There are many twists and branching turns. At every junction Ferod raises the sleeve of his arm and peers at a tattooed map inked on his arm. The tunnel narrows until they find themselves hunched over with the smoke of their torches filling their eyes. Finally there is a small, heavy stone door which they all hit upon but to no avail. Their poundings grow more desperate and curses are heard. Link thinks of the Zora, of their playful, ingenious inventions. He looks around and notices a one-eyed grand fish staring at him from the dark. He walks over and pushes the carved stone fish and after a deep, heavy rumbling the door opens.

The stone rolls closed behind them and they turn to gaze upon this new room.

"Bastards!" Gon says, spitting in disgust. There is light and it is light that glitters and gleams from a thousand, faceted coral gems. But it is light that falls upon a very grim sight. It is a large cavern and it is filled with the frozen figures of long-dead Zora. Some are standing, some sitting, some turned to flee, but all petrified in stone. Link walks up to one, a young girl peering upward in wide-eyed wonder. His fingers run along her cheeks, tracing spidery cracks that run down her whole body. Suddenly the cracks widen and the statue crumbles.

Link's hand is frozen where her cheek was, a look of horror and pain in his eyes. Balin lays a hand on his shoulder, "Don't tear yourself up, Link, it wasn't you that killed them and they've been dead a long time. We'll make Gannon pay in the end."

Link walks over to a torn mural, where the only image left is two Zora swimming hand-in-hand in a deep, sparkling ocean. "Make him pay? Can you make a man who has done this much to the world truly suffer? What can we do to Gannon that he has not already done to himself? To tell you the truth I pity him greatly; what respect does he have when all those around fear him? True, I have had the years ripped away from my life but Gannon has had the very chunks of his soul ripped away. To kill him would only be a precious gift."

The other three had only been half-listening to Link's wondering's when far-off comes a loud boom and a few of the statues crumble to pieces. "They've broken through the outer door!" one of the brothers shouts. "Quick, we must find the way above." They move frantically now, searching for another doorway in this room. The yells and screams of orcs echo through the cavern walls and before long there are deep thuds at the small, stone door. Again the group gathers in the middle of the room, talking of desperate plans. Again Link has an idea and going over to the tattered mural, flings it aside to reveal a door.

"Inside," he yells out, ripping it open. The three brothers make it half-way across the room before the stone door bursts open. A tide of murderous orcs flow into the room, smashing each and every once-living Zora. Before the others can turn and fight Gon pushes them hard through the door, puts a hand on Link's chest and says, "It is my time, Link, Carry it on." The last thing Link sees is Gon whirling his long lance towards the oncoming orcs, its head gleaming in the torch light and a pure yell echoing out unflinchingly. The door then slams shut.

….

Here dies Gon, bravely defending Link and his brothers, the second to go down in this quest. 27 of his enemies fell to his lance before he fell to theirs. Let his memory rise up and be remembered; Gon: lover of the high mountains and loved by a beautiful wife, dutiful and loyal to his friends, fierce to his enemies. Let it be recorded that here died Gon.

…

There are grim faces all around, even tears which streak down through sweat and grime. The two brothers lean their foreheads down upon their weapons, a touch of sorrow and anguish in their brows. At last they rise together and, Barin, putting his hand upon the other's shoulder, says, "His death was a good one." Link stands separate and silently thinks, "Another man gone so that I might live." And he rubs his right hand, where sits the golden triangle.

The cave they are in now drips with moisture and small rivulets of water stream slowly through an iron trap-door set deep into rock on the low ceiling. "This is it," whispers Link, as if afraid to disturb the very rock walls. "Above us lies the very waters of Lake Hyrule. And if we haven't been too long in this dank cave that damned ship should be sailing soon along. What say you my friends? Ready for the cold plunge?"

The two brothers look at each other, back slowly to the wall and loop hands through large, inset iron rings that dot the small room. Barin barks out, "A near certain death is never so certain, especially when it lies so close. My grand-father said that before dying gloriously in battle. I'm ready to die but equally ready to live, Ready? I am ever so, so I say let us see which it may be. Open the door Link." Ferod laughs, "what my brother so eloquently said, I agree. Open the door." Link nods, reaches out a hand to pull a large lever and steps back to grab an iron ring.

The trap-door ticks, each click heard so attentively by the three men below it, their eyes wide and unblinking. There are several more clicks and then a deep clunk as a giant weight, hidden in the stone walls, slowly engages. There is a moment of silence, and in that moment Link's knuckles whiten around the iron ring. Then it opens and the waters of the lake come pouring down upon the men. It hits their bodies with terrible force and they fight to stay on and avoid being thrashed against the stone walls. But one by one they are sucked up and through the small portal to be flung out into the blue depths.


	24. A Fairy Interlude

His eyes open and he drifts in a blue void, tiny bubbles of trapped air rising over him to streak fast and quick for the still surface. Already his friends knife upward through the water, blood and dirt coming off in clouds. But still Link hangs in the depths of the lake, caught by some sound, the faint whisper of a beautiful voice singing a melancholy song far-off. It holds him there despite his lungs screaming for air. The song increases in volume, surrounding his whole body and drumming his ears with the most melodious of sounds. Suddenly it ceases and there comes a laughter like the ringing of bells. All light then leaves the world around Link and he finds himself once again in the fountain of the Faeries.

He stands half-submerged in the pool with water streaming down his hair to drip with loud drops into the grand silence. Giant pillars of albaster still rise up into the darkness and that darkness still sparkles with the eyes of the universe, but there is not one single, small fairy beating her gossamer wings about the room. Then she is there; the Queen, still radiant with beauty and still young yet so old and wise. Yet the light of her being seems dimmer than remembered as if it reflects the dying light of Hyrule.

She floats down to the steps of the pool and sits, beckoning Link to do the same. With one hand she reaches up into the air and strokes a hand across the gleaming ceiling. It ripples like water with her motion and all the stars seem to dance. All fades and above Link's head appears a single image: Gannon. He sits staring out a window deep in thought, face coated in the orange flame of a flickering candle.

"Link," comes her voice, so tiny and defeated, "we greet each other again, though not under happy circumstances. It seems all my aid and our plans have come to nothing. All my young faeries scattered or gone; all my secret dwellings burned or ruined; all my hopes dwindling or vanished. Yet here you are after so long a time and I think that perhaps there is still a chance. This man, this evil, malignant man has done such a thorough job of destroying your world that he now turns to mine. With his power our realm had been breached and certain spirits such as myself are being hunted down and killed. He now threatens my kingdom and knocks on my barred doors even as we speak." And she cocks her head as if listening to some distant sound. "Yes, even now."

With such sad eyes the Fairy Queen turns and lays a single hand upon Link's shoulder, "I must ask for your help again Link." He in turn sighs, feeling the invisible hand of responsibility push down harder upon his shoulders. He speaks to her, "Great Queen, what is a hero if he never achieves victory? Am I doomed to struggle against an ever-increasing tide of defeat?" His hands clench into fists and in his voice is the plea to understand why his fate has fallen this way. "Why, O' Queen, did you spirits never kill Gannon or prevent him from obtaining the power of the Triforce?"

The fairy sighs herself and the image above clears; the stars and wheeling galaxies return to their proper places. She floats away into the center of the pool. "Link, the Triforce exists to be shaped by whoever finds it. It itself is neither good nor evil. It is like a balance, and there must always be a balance. You prove that in the mere act of opposing this man. Being good means having eternal hope even in the midst of being deceived. Being good means you must give men the choice to choose and act. Even Gannon was once given that right."

And she turns, meeting his blue eyes with her own sparkling green ones. "I have two favors to ask; one, help me find and free my little ones. The arm of Gannon is long and his minions have taken my faeries to secret places. Every fairy that you find and free replenishes my spirit. This I ask and in return I will grant you a bit of my power. It is the last I have; a bit of wild and unpredictable magic. I don't know what form it will take only that in times of great peril it will help you." So she reaches out a long and elegant hand to touch Link between the eyes. There is a brief flash of light, a shimmer that expands then contracts. Link breathes, shifts his weight but doesn't feel any different.

"The second favor, my dear sweet hero, is easy to ask yet I am afraid to say it. You are so brave and courageous but can you be compassionate?"

This strikes Link as odd. "Compassionate?" he thinks, "can I love or can I feel for someone? Is that what she means?" And he speaks "Yes, I can be compassionate." She smiles, but it is a sad smile, so full of pity. "Can you? I well hope you can, Link. For soon you and your friends will board a ship that holds the first of four sages. Gannon has done terrible things to these people. Will your hand be compassionate when you find them?"

Link laughs, "O' Fairy, it is nothing. I will calm and heal them, always! For if they are so important then I must save them."

The Fairy queen turns away and looks upward at her far-away home. "I hope you can Link. That is all I can do, hope. Farewell then and remember, be compassionate."

The water of the pool rises up over Link and as the light of countless galaxies fades a lilting voice comes through one last time, "look for an old friend aboard the ship. She is waiting."

And then all is dark. And then all is the deep blue of watery depths and his lungs ache and burn. So he starts to move, knifing upward to the surface.


	25. A Ship Upon Dark Waters pt 2

Link breaks the surface of Lake Hyrule and breathes the sweet air of a clear night. Above his head is a sky stitched with a million twinkling stars; clouds gather at the fringe, already crowding a full moon that shines with such vigor. "Link, you are alive my friend! Good, then we still carry the fight onwards." This from Barin, who with his brother bob in the dark waters close by. Link swims over and puts his finger up over his lips. "Quiet my friend. Your whispers are other men's shouts. But yes the boat comes. Make ready!"

And it comes, sailing through the waves with deathly glee in her sails and trailing murderous mayhem in her wake. The great bonfire still burns upon her deck and figures still dance in the mad-shadowed light that coats her planks. As the boat looms over the three small swimmers four bouts of cannon fire roar out over their heads, briefly lighting up the lake around. As the three move to catch the jutting edges of the ship the skies open up and rain begins to pour. Their hair lays slick on their heads and their clothes cling to their skin. But their blades are still sharp and the blood in their veins pump hot and their anger boils close to rage.

They peek over the edge and the sights they see are strange even to one such as Link. Before the roaring flames orcs dance hand-in-hand with lizard-men of the deserts. Tattooed men jump and thrash about in-between. Women with sharp teeth and scaled claws for hands pirouette and soar over the very flickering tips of the flames. And everywhere lies the shining reflection of swords, axes, arrows and lances of battle. Over all this madness, sitting in the shadows of the fore-castle, a dark figure in a Captain's hat sits playing a most ghastly violin. The melody is of rich life lost to darkness; a dirge to death and a very rhythm to set skeletons a dancing about jack-o-lanterns in misty graveyards. It is so terrible because it could be so lovely. Instead this figure plays for this ship and its soulless crew and thus plays for all that burns at the end of night.

The music stops and the cloaked figure drops to the deck and disappears inside the Captain's cabin. In the silence all stop dancing and look to the railing where three sets of eyes widen in surprise. Ferod is the first over, drawing his swords and cutting into the bewildered creatures. Link and Barin are not far behind and before long they stand back-to-back-to-back, lost in the dance of battle. But the numbers are too great and they are steadily pushed to the edge of the white hot fire. "Barin!" Ferod calls, "I am afraid I must end this contest unfairly, but remember that I am the winner nonetheless. Farewell dear brother, take Link for cover!" Barin grasps his brother's arm once, nods and catching Link's hand, proceeds to barrel through the enemy with his heavy shoulder. Link turns once to catch a glimpse of Ferod laughing and laying about with great gusto. With a last bow to his brother he takes a black object out and throws it into the fire. The explosion rips through the clustered enemy, pushing Link and Barin hard into the decks and into a deeper blackness.

….

Thus falls Ferod, giving life to a hero he had faith in. He dies in the heat of fire but his heart forever dwells with his two wives on the isle of a most verdant country, a brother of most loyal devotion and equal lover of freedom as he was a good sunset. Let his verses and songs be remembered though his body be no more!

…..

Link wakes to pouring rain and jagged strips of lightning flitting out across the lake. There is blood and torn pieces of flesh coating the deck. Through bleary eyes he sees the outline of a bulky, towering figure with horns heads directly for him. An axe suddenly flashes past to clang off the monster's sword. "This one's mine; go Link! Do what you must!" Barin rushes past Link to fling himself at the brute. Leaving them, Link, with drawn sword, reaches the cabin door and flings it open.

All is silent inside save for the creak of wood. The dark of the cabin is lit suddenly by flashes of lightning through crossed windows. In this illumination, sitting at a wide navigator's table is the Captain. The figure's face sits cloaked in the hat's shadow but a voice issues forth high and sweet. "Ah, there you are. So the hero returns. Won't Gannon be surprised. I always thought you were stubborn but never to willingly come to your death. For that is what I am, what I have become. Remember me? No? Let me enlighten you!" Out stretches a hand to knock hard against a glass jar that sits upon the table. And then, within the glass, comes a blue glow that grows brighter and brighter with every tiny flutter of the captured creature inside. Recognition comes with the glowing light; not one but two familiar faces!

"Yes," says Kylia, "it is your precious Navi, who you so abandoned long ago when you let Gannondorf walk into the kingdom of Hyrule. She is mine now like I am now Gannondorf's. We are both creatures betrayed by you, Link. You who were our hope and you who we put so much faith in. Now I find myself curiously joined to this creature by our broken faith. Now do you remember me?" And this fair woman, so filled with scorn and hate, lets her hat fall off and pulls up a ragged hood over her head. It is the blue and white of the Sheik and upon her brow is the almost faded symbol of the Triforce. She raises a hand, palm out, and whispers hollowly, "You were my hope," and a ball of fire rips out across the room towards Link.

The door of the cabin crashes inward and Barin, pouring blood, throws himself in front of the fireball. It catches him in the chest and he has time to turn and smile once at Link before falling to the floor dead.

…

Thus falls Barin, no less valorous than he was devout to his religious lord, no less loving of his brothers than he was of a good fight and a good beer. Though his temper was quick to heat his heart was large and his compassion famous. Let no one forget this gentle giant, the last to fall in shielding their long believed-in hero.

…

The anguish at the forth man to die for him fills Link's heart to bursting. Death seems to always surround him; death, despair, unreasoning evil and the hopelessness of people who have given up when they've never tried. He sees the line of dead that stretch back seven years and the audacity of so many people to lay the blame at his feet for betraying their hope. For one moment he lifts his sword and prepares to cut this woman dead.

But instead the words of the Fairy Queen echo in his mind and he lowers his hands to his side. Now there is only a calm stillness in his mind and he waits.

Kylia screams a wordless howl and hurls another fireball. Deep within, Link understands her decision and so acts himself. There is a pulse in his chest. Looking outward he sees that the fireball has stopped in mid-air; even Kylia seems frozen in a hateful sneer. The beating of Navi's wings lie still, her small, regal face caught in a cry of horror. Outside drops of rain dot the very air of the ship, lying like stars in the sky. Casting a strange, frozen light upon all this is a single, long bolt of lightning, caught in the very act of touching down upon blood-soaked deck of the ship. This streak of pure energy is the backdrop of which Link stands, framed by the open doorway and outlined in bursting white light. He sees it all in a heartbeat, and in another draws his sword and plunges it through the shoulder of Kylia. Time resumes and there is a giant boom of sound and crashing force as the bolt strikes the ship. Then all is silent.

In the flickering darkness, as Navi struggles to glow again, Link speaks, "You are all my hope. Every time you believed in me I believed more in the goodness of yourselves. You think my failure is yours but you can never lose hope, only temporarily misplace it. Kylia, please, look into my eyes and find it again. You have that chance."

Kylia staggers back against the cabin wall and raises her eyes full on Link. For a long time they stare while the rain lashes the ship and the skies blow in fury. Finally her face clears, betraying the feelings she kept hidden for so long. There is the slightest smile on her face and she says in a calm voice, "I always believed in you Link, even though I fooled myself for so many years. Would that I could repay so much treachery but I fear my heart is too heavy. Thank you." With these words she raises both hands up. They start to glow with the flame of a fireball and Link jumps back. But she turns her hands inward, pressing them against her chest and unleashes the full force of it upon herself.

When Link's eyes clear he finds her barely alive, whispering over and over through burnt lips, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." It comes to Link then that compassion comes not always with a saving grace but with the easing of a heavy burden of guilt and a quick death. With tears flowing down his face Link takes his sword in both hands and brings the point down upon her breast.

The deed done he falls back to the floor, his sword clattering down to the floor. He wants to curse, shout and swear at the fate that brings him to this point. But all he can do is stare at her body and around at the wrecked room. Slowly, over Kylia's body, a bright blue orb appears. It forms into a ghostly image of the dead woman and speaks, "Oh so hard is the path of a hero, Link. Truly was I right to believe in you and right to pity you. For your path continues while mine has ended and I begin anew. I have been given a chance to help again and have been made a sage. I go now to that other realm to help erase the evils I have done. Goodbye Link, and good luck." And she fades.

Link still lies where he collapsed, staring dumbly out the broken windows at the falling rain. After a time his tears stop and he wearily picks up his sword, steps over the two bodies, grabs the jar that holds Navi and exits. His eyes stare a thousand miles off but his hands find a burning torch and he sets a trail of gunpowder leading down into the dark holds. Later his head breaks the surface several yards away and he starts to swim heavily for the far shore. The ship then explodes in flaming glory, casting all the evil that was into the cool, cold water. But he looks back not once.


	26. A Journey Upriver

Link stands at the rail of a fleet sail boat as the last of the twinkling stars fade. It is a mute time, full of the toneless noise of a world waiting for a new day. He leans over the prow, staring down at the dark river as it slides by. One hand lies on the wooden rail and on it`s exposed skin the tattoo that points outwards with its golden tip, over black waters and blacker mountains. Its courageous glow reduced now to a gloomy outline of pale yellow. In his other hand is the blue ocarina and his fingers play over the holes soundlessly as his mind is lost to other, deeper thoughts.

"Oh father," he whispers to the silent waters, "where did you go that night? What was so important that you had to leave your only son behind, alone? Must I travel this life without knowing the reason? Must you stand in my memories incomplete, a stranger who I thought I knew? Are you dead or do you yet still live? And if you live why have I not heard word? Oh, father, in my dreams I still chase you through dark forests and yet you never stop."

He gives a great sigh and drops his forehead to the wood of the rail. "But I well know now something of obligations and responsibility, of duty that must be done. Were you too so drawn, father, so caught by strands of loyalties to the souls of good men and women? I`ve tried so hard to live up to the kind of man you were, though sometimes I feel so lost and overwhelmed by these large waves of stronger things that I lose sight of even the horizon."

Long is he silent until the sky near the horizon seems to lighten up with a faint glow. It paints his face with the barest of soft blue light, but it is enough to reveal hard blue eyes that still stare far into the distance.

His voice comes out again, "But you too have gone through these dangerous waters, father and maybe, riding in your wake, I too can see the dawn." And slowly dawn approaches, giving color to the tall cliffs that bracket both sides of the little boat as it sails ever upward on a ribbon of water. The occasional canyon and sloping valley interrupts the near continuous walls of red rock.

As a half-sphere of soft yellow begins to infuse the skies a young woman`s voice hums out of the night behind him. It starts high and slides low like sinuous water flowing spiritedly downhill. It is the first note of a throaty laugh held and it bounces back and forth between the cliffs, touching the blue-black receding water behind and in turn flying far out to the approaching dawn. Then suddenly at his side is a woman cloaked in dark green with her face shadowed by a deep hood. She reaches out with deeply tanned hands to clasp the same rail. And still she sings, but now that flowing water turns to floating butterflies and these are the words of that song:

Oh, follow me down to the great, green vale

Where the color of life is the bright sun`s rays

Shining through leaves, green oh so very pale

There live the children of the forest,

The Kokiri who laugh and play, live and love

Who dance about the trees and sing the fairest.

Link`s heart jumps at these words, ones that sit so long buried in his memories. The first part ends but the rhythm beats in his head and he finds his voice leaping out with the woman`s, blending together for the second verse which speaks of the seasons that blow in to the vale, touching so beautifully upon the sad and happy moments of the year that Link can almost see his little home in the forest. They begin the last two verses in unison, the woman singing high the third and Link low the fourth. Their voices swing around each other, touching together occasionally to unite upon a word in perfect harmony, then to dance off again to spin separate tales of their village`s most famous lovers. Link`s voice fades as his part ends but the ladies voice continues for several lines before fading just as the first rays of the sun emerge to strike the boat full.

Link turns his head to look at this strange woman, who at that moment throws her hood back revealing a striking face with the most gorgeous of green hair threaded with a deep blue headband. She turns to look at Link and there is such sadness around her eyes and a very melancholy smile haunting her face that it takes several moments to see past it and recognize a face from childhood. He gasps and the name is on his lips when she shakes her hair and tiny, shiny emblems embedded there sparkle and shine, momentarily blinding Link. When his eyes open again the woman is gone and only the whisper of her name remains, "Saria!"

Behind him echo the heavy thumps of the ship`s captain ascending the stairs to talk to Link. A wrinkled hand appears besides his. "Up early, are ye, boy? Eager so much for the sight of it that ye would forsake your blessed sleep?"

The grizzled man standing next to Link looks him square in the face, though with only one good eye as the other is lost to a long-healed jagged scar. His left leg also attests to his none-to-peaceful past; below his knee lies only the white peg of a filed-down tooth of some giant sea monster that the captain claimed could rear high enough to blot out the sun. Apart from his appearance Link has found him to be an honest and amicable man, his heart not at all scarred by his years of hard living.

"Yes, Captain, I am eager to see a land untouched by the eviler wills of man; and saddened that I must journey so far from my home to see it." Link`s thoughts still dwell on his father and upon that ghostly woman that his answers come through unguarded and the captain senses much sorrow in those words.

Link speaks again, still looking straight ahead, "Is there by chance a woman aboard with green hair?" "Ha!" roars the captain, "you mean them that dwells in the forests far t`the west? Never have I seen one nor care to, for I`ve well heard of their penchant for trickery and the like. Why d`ye ask?"

Link waves his hand, dismissing the matter. "Tell me, why does no one else travel this river, for if I understand it there are many towns and villages past my destination."

The Captain laughs again and gives Link a large slap on the back. "Oh, my boy, being a foreigner I can well understand your mistake. Once, long ago, these were thriving parts, but now? Nothing but names on a map, and where once the gay sounds of a bustling trade were heard, only the rough plankings of weathered piers stand. And while where ye be headed might not be ravaged by some enemy, still it lies just as wounded and ye have only to set foot upon it`s shore to understand."

They are silent for awhile, watching the cliffs flow by, the ones to the west giving way to low hills and finally to long, flat plains that stretch almost unenduringly to distant, blue mountains. At length Link raises a hand to point out strange symbols carved high into eastern cliffs. "What of those, Master Pilot?"

"Ah my boy," says the grizzled man, "made long ago by the people who once dwelled in these areas. There be many opinions concerning those but to my mind I`ve got the sole truth, by god," and he winks his good eye. To Link they resemble weathered and crumbling depictions of the Triforce though each and every one is encircled by a perfect sphere. Again the Captain speaks, but in a low whisper, "Some years back, before I lost this here eye of mine, I carried a fella to this same spot. Was a shame as I never heard from him again, another casualty of adventure eh? But he told me, before he left, of the very meaning of those symbols. It was, he said, their religion."

"And?" says Link, suddenly very attentive.

"Time, my boy, time was their religion, time was their temple," and as he utters these last words the eastern cliffs fall away to reveal a most amazing sight, "and time was their city."

Link`s eyes widen and his mouth lowers in amazement while the captain nods his head and clasps Link hard upon the back, "There it is my boy, what my eye has seen fewer than the fingers on one hand. Behold, The City of Time!"


	27. The City of Time and its Mad Philosopher

_Author`s Note: Is that the key? That any endeavor, any artistic or creative effort must be first and foremost dedicated to oneself? It's a dilemma that writers must all face. Do we write for an audience to understand or do we write to explain our own urges? Anyway, had a hard time with this one, it doesn`t seem to flow. I don`t know, the feeling isn`t there. But it is what I had in mind as far as plot. Thoughts welcome. _

* * *

Time flows and flashes around me and its all I can do to hold onto the present. I once was a man just like you, bursting with desire to know the truth of life, and so I did, greatly and as truly as I could. I loved; a beautiful woman who sat at my right hand and knew my mind and knew the course of my dream. I hated; the ignorance and injustice that beset the nations that surrounded my kingdom. I feared; a great black, bustling cloud of evil that reared its head out of a thousand tales told from those fleeing their corrupted lands.

* * *

Link waves to the old captain as the boat disappears down river, turns and there sits the city, glorious, decadent, old and empty; so full of silence that the blood pumps loud in his ears. He sets down his pack and sits on the weathered pier. He breathes and the fresh river air smells now and again like rotting wood. Suddenly he tenses every muscle in his body, a spasm of rage, and throws back his head to let out an anguished yell. It comes back to him after ringing out through empty streets.

He leans forward and laces his fingers through his hair, exhaling hard and his voice comes out through the hanging halo of hair, low and hoarse, "Another beginning, another adventure, how many times must I face the unknown. Goddess! I feel like an idiot blundering into dangerous waters. Why do they always expect me to know what to do? I`m just one man, and they think me a hero? Ahh, who am I kidding? Who else is willing to risk their necks? Stupid!" His complains end with a snort of disgust.

He reaches in to his pack and removes a glass jar, finally able to deal with the creature inside. He opens the lid and peers inside. There is the faintest of glows, a soft thrumming blue that pulsates slow and steady like a heartbeat. He sets the jar down on the wood and peers inside. There is a tiny woman through the distortion of the glass, with brilliant wings huddled up, crying small, red teardrops that pour down her face

. "Navi," Link whispers, "Navi. Come out please." A very beautiful but very sad face gazes up briefly, only to cast her eyes downward again. There is not even a whisper of recognition in those sorrowful eyes. So he talks to her, with his head down low next to the jar, whispering words softly over the lip and down into her glassy world.

"Did you know Navi, that once when I was younger and still living in Kokiri Village I was sent to Hyrule market for some goods. I was so green, so very much a boy of the forests that the walls of stone and wild splashes of color were so overwhelming. In the forest things move simply; the wind blows and the leaves move or the deer hops, following it`s weaving trail. But there, Navi, in the city people dash about with such randomness, seeming to follow such fanciful whims that I grew confused just watching it all. After my errand was over I got lost in the back-alleys of a certain mask district and wandered for a long time. Eventually I came upon a deserted courtyard with high walls and a single dying oak tree that threw clutching shadows over everything. Underneath its stretching branches was a statue that was covered with the slime of age; fallen leaves had coated it, moss clung to its sides and its surface bore many pits of corrosion. But through all that mess I saw what it had been: a statue so beautiful and powerful that age and neglect could not destroy its presence. And I was too young to put words to the emotions that I felt but it greatly impressed upon me that perhaps the creator had been someone who understood what is best in all of us and put it into stone."

"And if you would just get up and look, Navi, you would see! This city is that statue. Sure dust and moss cling to the buildings and there are large chunks of masonry missing, but just look past that and it`s there! And you can see how truly magnificent it must have been. Please, Navi, talk to me! I have so few friends left now, I can`t lose another. Not after we just found each other."

Here he pauses with hope, looking at her small form, but there is no answer and after some silence he resumes, "look, just over the rooftops of the wharf a mountain rises and on its very flank sits a city! I see sparkles and glimmers of jewels that still decorate the walls of houses hundreds of feet up. There is a staircase, Navi, a white marble staircase that climbs straight as an arrow up the rocky slope and every few feet a rich archway straddles it. I swear that this sight must rival the world of your Fairy Queen. And clouds! A long string of pearly clouds decorate the peak and in the gaps of those floating clouds flashes gold! Wait! Yes, there, on the top, a huge palace with a giant, golden dome. Oh if only you would lift your head and see it Navi, you would smile. It sits there on the peak, perched as if some white crane ready to soar off into the sky." Link falls silent as if exhausted from his passionate outpouring. Navi still lies at the bottom, her blue glow pulsing faintly. With a long sigh Link pushes himself up, packs the jar away and walks into the city.

….

In the canyon of the dusty walls that is the wharf a streak of pale fire rushes across Link`s eyes and he glances up, looking to see what mirrored surface casts so bright a light. But there is only the dullness of decayed time everywhere and so his glance travels upward over rooftops and the marble staircase to alight upon the towering palace that grips the mountain top and seem to forever on the verge of soaring into the blue sky. There is the golden spire that pierces the clouds, yet it does not gleam. He glances away. Again light streaks his eyes! He raises his head and there, on the very shoulder of the mountain, outlined against the sky is a small figure holding something that shines in the sun. The figure sweeps it back and forth, sending blinding flashes all over the broad world. So vainglorious does it all look, like that strange creature struggles with some fierce, invisible demon, battling for light and all humanity. Suddenly the figure lifts the object straight up to the sky and a shaft of pure light hits it. There is a muffled thump, a ghost of an echo and then the figure is gone and there is only the sharp edge of the mountain and the crispness of an early morning sky.

There is no more to the strange display and so Link leaves the harbor and walks inward, coming soon to a great plaza in the shape of a triangle with two of the points sprouting a road and the third, the beginning of the grand staircase which runs up the mountain. In the center of the plaza is a large sculpture that rotates slowly on a thin axle of metal. It is the triforce again; three large triangles but they lie surrounded by a perfect circle and that circle is inscribed with strange lettering that runs around its side. Link moves closer to read it and puts a hand out to stop the spinning. But as he does so he notices another handprint in the dust of the triangle. It is fresh and large, "_and on the triangle of courage_," reflects Link, "_which, along with the triangle of power support the triangle of knowledge. Support, we support each other and in turn trust our support to be used wisely_." And he looks down at his own which glows faintly. "T_he triforce is always shown together, always. Why can it be separated so easily and why is power, the tripod of three, so easy to overbalance_?" The sculpture comes to a stop and the inscription comes into view. This is what it reads: "In Time all comes to the beginning."

For some reason the message sends shivers through his body and he quickly scans the area. The cobbled plaza is empty, doors are shut tight and empty windows are the only eyes that stare back. Yet he is uneasy with the feeling that something out there watches him, watches and waits. He turns toward the massive staircase, hoping that it leads straight up to the temple palace and hoping too that he will find the sage at the top.

Something at the base of the stairs catches his eyes as he starts on the first step and he stoops to pick it up. It is a single, round medallion, the face of some regal king on one side and the now familiar encircled triforce on the other. But for all its shiny beauty, and it does shine elegantly, it is rent nearly in two by some powerful cut. Link shrugs, pockets the coin and begins to climb.

…..

Half-way up the mountain, with sweat dripping from his face, Link stops for a rest. Here the air has grown thin and cold in the shadow of the palace. From this high the river and the docks dwindle to small miniatures. To the left and right are small streets that follow the contours of the mountain. They are lined with temples and homes, far richer and imposing than the ones lower on the mountain. Here and there are remnants of bright glass or ornamented carvings, glimpses of the distant past.

Link is sitting at the base of the arch that spans the steps, looking up at the drifting clouds when there is a clap of noise, a giant inrush of sound as if the mountain itself were taking a deep breath. On the tail of the sound comes a sweeping wind that rushes down from the top. It hurls itself against Link and it's all he can do to hold on to the archway and close his eyes or be swept from the stairs. The wind fades and from the silence comes the tinkling voices of many people. His eyes open and a gasp escapes from his mouth.

The once empty city now teems with a whole civilization. Men, women and children walk the streets, conversing in a strange language and generally going about their lives. All the building gleam like polished jewels and tapestries, ribbons and carpets decorate the white walls. Link stumbles down one street, approaching a man talking to his wife. He reaches to clutch at the man`s arm but to his horror it passes straight through! He tumbles down to the street and watches as many gaily dressed people walk right through him. He screams, clutches at legs and on wobbly feet spins around trying to find a single person looking at him. Then the second sound comes, the reverse of the first, like Time itself has died, its tombstone dropping heavily and booming in an empty mausoleum. The ghostly people look upward in surprise. Another wave of wind blows down, driving Link against a wall and when it fades all signs of life and color are gone and the city is again old with age and the streets empty with the silent gaze of windows. Link flees back to the stairs and with one glance back starts again for the distant palace.

….

The palace suddenly looms out of the mist of clouds. It is, in truth very white, seemingly made out of a single piece of marble. The giant dome of gold gleams from the top and high up under the dome on one side is a high narrow balcony that juts out over the high ridge of rock. It resembles a crane`s extended wing, giving it the image of a bird on the verge of taking flight. The balcony`s edge hangs over the precipice and stands as an architectural witness to more empty air than the mind can handle.

Ruinous age has not yet invaded the temple, not a palace, for in Link`s mind this massive building was not built to house people but, like a statue, raised to express a grand idea. Inside is a grand cavernous room made entirely out of gleaming white marble. Lines of gold decorate the room in the form of words, symbols and shapes. In the center is a massive triforce set in stone and from the middle of it rises a spiral staircase that ascends through a hole in the ceiling. Through the opposite door Link can make out what looks to be a single tree growing in green grass. There is a sudden thump, and a hollow ring that echoes from wall to wall. "Ahhh," a long and drawn out sigh that comes booming from above, sounding like it arrives from very far away. Link checks his sword, tightens the straps on his pack and grasping the rail, ascends the stairway. He climbs into an airy room as bare as the first except for a large, stone table that bears many cracks of time and an empty golden throne, overlarge that sits against one wall. There are several large open windows that let in a slight wind and allow views of the deep blue sky. Slanting rectangles of light lay on the stone floor.

The sigh comes again, starting low and then growing so loud that it shakes the floor. Then, in the blink of an eye, a king sits on the throne. He is cloaked in a black robe that hides all but the thin hard line of his mouth. He sits upon the throne still as stone and looks like he belongs entombed in this decaying temple. Link starts forward with words but before he can get them out the robed figure speaks.

"Do you know what is beautiful?" The voice is hollow and old, sounding so tired. "No, probably not. How rare it is to know decidedly what is beautiful. Not some general measure of beauty or definition to be applied to whatever does not repulse the eye. We mean the beauty that has been thought over, compared against a time of experience and allowed to grow. Beauty that contains a bit of your life dashed together with quality and form. How rare to be able to point one`s finger at beauty, at the physically real and tangible to the senses. It requires the definement of a whole philosophy of the self, for behind every statement of that which is beautiful is the summation of why and the thousands of built-up conclusions supporting it."

Suddenly the huge figure pushes up from the throne, standing twice as tall as Link. The cloak is thrown open and it is truly a king. For he wears armor that gleams of gold and reflects the world. Two gauntleted hands push back the hood to reveal a golden mask with the regal face of a god and a simple crown adorning black hair. The King`s voice booms from the mouth-hole, "I know what is beautiful because I have lost it.

After a moment, he speaks again, "welcome, dear bearer of the mark. We are most excited for new blood to join our group. What brings you here, little one? Is it power or are you chasing one who would want power?

Link steps forward, "I want no power, good King, only a sage. If you would know of such a person I would be grateful," and he bows his head once. The king beckons Link to the stone table and they sit. Again the booming voice rings out, "Most interesting! Who doesn`t want power? Would you say no to seeing the fields of eternity? None have so far. But none the less, it is inevitable that you will accept. We have seen it in the future. No sage will you find, only the throne of Time and on it shall you sit until its beckoning claws attract another."

"Listen, my boy, and know. We all have walked the same path you have, we have all thought what you have thought. We are the same as you."

Link jumps up and shouts "Never! You know nothing of me and my troubles. How could you, when you perch up here like some old owl so remote and so distant from the troubles of the world? No sage, you say, power I should take? Why am I here then?"

"Why indeed. You say we are nothing alike?" and the King removes a single golden gauntlet from his right hand and holds that hand up to Link. Upon the back of it is a long-healed scar in the shape of three triangles. Somewhat sorrowfully the golden king begins his tale.

"Once, long ago, there was a just and truthful king who loved his little kingdom on the mountain. His people were happy and the city was beautiful. All was well because the king possessed the mark of knowledge and could perceive to a certain degree the troubles that could befall them. Thus he could order crops to be stored or the city`s populace to retreat behind walls when threatened by possible enemies. But he could not predict the attraction of power, and it was power, the third of the triforce that showed up one day in the shape of a dangerous man looking for glory. There was a great battle between the two and the king was only saved by the arrival of a young, courageous girl who sacrificed herself to stop the man. When the king found the two bodies, surrounded by so much destruction, he discovered the golden tattoos upon their hands. He touched them, hesitantly with awe that such small things could drive kingdoms down. The moment he did so they appeared on his own hand and he became the bearer of the triforce united."

"The people and kingdom recovered but they saw little of their king after that for long he sat brooding in his white palace, confronted now with unimaginable power. He wept to know that with a breath he could wreak such havoc upon the world and with a another he could create a paradise never to be equaled. The king was after all a simple man who had known peace and happiness without the taint of such powerful temptations. He grew mad in desperation and in desperation found an answer. Time and Eternity!"

"A triangle is an unbroken line which is a circle and so, with the power of the triforce the King removed himself and his kingdom forever out of Time`s grasp, existing neither in the past nor the future but eternally sliding between them. In the moment of his triumph, when the deed was done and he thought himself safe, the mark on his hand disappeared and only a scar was left. The brave, tragic and mad king was trapped, destined to be an observer of all that has and forever will transpire."

The king falls silent as if brooding on the past. Finally he stirs and after slipping his glove back on he continues, "There is a final, sadly comic note to this story. Can you guess what it is, my progeny? Those that find themselves bearers of that particular mark are inevitably drawn to this place. Some seek the power of Time, some seek to destroy it and some come seeking the seekers. It is a circle that repeats itself time and time again. And every one of them succumb to Time`s power, drawn in to replace the life of the former, for this power is great and with it one can live forever. So come, let us end this charade. For I know you will join us, Time has made it so."

Link pushes his chair back and raises his sword, shouting "Liar! The triforce is not given to fools! You can keep your power and I will not be forced in any way." "Is that so?" comes the voice, sad and bored. The king raises a finger upward, pointing towards the domed ceiling, "Look at the ceiling. Every gold medallion decorating it is a bearer of the triforce that has failed to resist the pull of power."

Link looks up and were each and every one a star in the sky the night would blaze to rival the sun. "Yes it is an endless cycle and no one but us understand it. The three forces chase each other around, no one force ever gaining over the others and all eventually ending here to be absorbed and dispersed once again. Is it beautiful or tragic? Long have we pondered if it was the eternal existence of ourselves in time that drew those with the triforce or was it their chance gathering that gave birth to my power? We must admit that the answer has not been found in all this time."

Barely had the words died when the king, without warning, swings a sword larger than he is tall. Link dodges and the sword falls upon the table, cleaving it entirely in two. Without a thought Link runs up the angled sword and slashes the golden mask, dropping lightly to the floor. He then darts for the open doorway and makes for the long balcony. He spares one glance back inside and sees the King still standing in dark shadows.

Outside, the slanting light of the sun coats the high world in deep bronze. Heavy winds flow over the narrow walkway as Link inches closer and closer to the white rail. Another glance back and suddenly the king stands outside the entrance, still and golden in his armor. Link reaches the rail and looks over. The drop is more than his mind can handle; in fact were one to fall, the time spent in freefall alone, confronting an inevitable death, would be enough to drive a man insane. He turns back and the King stands a foot away, his head lost in the blue sky. Up comes the large sword, blocking out the sun. Link darts forward and before the King`s sword can fall, Link sends the point of his sword through the golden armor and deep into the chest. There is a moment of stillness and then the King falls with a towering crash and the simple crown rolls away. Link bends over the giant and uses his sword tip to flip off the golden mask. The man underneath raises a dry laughs and speaks, "Good to see you again, Link." Link bends down and recognizes the face of the man that left him so long ago and he gasps, "Father!"

His sword falls with a clatter and Link kneels besides the man he has been searching for, the man he slew with his own hand. "Dad, dad, no! How can you be here?" He searches frantically for a sign, anything to tell him his father might not be so mortally wounded, but the wound gurgles and spews forth fresh blood. With surprising speed his father reaches up and draws his son closer. "My son. My grown son. It hurts me so much to see you here. It means I have failed twice now. Once in keeping you from this path and the other in thinking I was ever strong enough to resist this power. I`m so sorry that your search for me led to this final scene. I would have you grown up peacefully in your cousin`s village. Did you ever go there? Did you see the red flowers in bloom in spring? I can almost see them."

With a few harsh tears streaking down his cheek and clutching his father`s hand to his face he answers. "Yes dad, I went there it was lovely. They had a grove of purple fern trees that I once kissed a girl under." He chokes on a few sobs, struggling to catch his voice, "Don`t worry about that dad, you never failed me. I tried to live up to who you were so many times and maybe its I who failed. But why, dad, why did you leave me?"

His father`s eyes are closed but he still breathes and Link leans closer, putting his head down upon his father`s chest. His father reaches up to stroke his son`s golden hair and speaks low, "There was a rumor of a madman with power, building an army and I came here for help. Perhaps it was fate but it was a sacrifice I`d do again." Then after another silence, "I`m sorry, my son, that you never knew your mother. She was such a warrior and during the last war she was so brave. Oh, I can see her now, so beautiful!" A great racking cough comes from his father`s chest and then he is silent except for a few loud gasping breathes that often proceed upon the trail before death comes calling. Suddenly his eyes fly open and he stares upward with a joyous expression. His last words come out in hushed excitement:

"Link, I look up at the stars and they call me in unending dreams of millions upon millions of pinpoints illuminating a virgin forest. Upon a mountain top do I lie gazing up into infinity, feeling not inconsequential but the opposite. I feel the breadth of emotion, the surging in my heart that tells me I yet feel, I yet live and can appreciate the senses of life. And long I gaze into the sky, hoping dawn will never arrive, leaving the glimmering of a million stars reflecting in my eye, as a dream in a dream, forever in the forest of the mountain."

Here dies the father of Link, once a father who looked so lovingly over his son; who fled into the night pursuing a sliver of a chance to save the future; a man only understood in the last breaths of his death.

The body before Link crumbles to dust which blows away upon the wind. Soon he is alone with the tumbled crown, which sits alone on cobbled stone a few feet away. There is only the blowing wind in his ears and the dying face of his father in his memory. "No sage," he mutters to the solitary air, and reaching out, takes the crown in his hands.

He stands and strides to the balcony`s edge, holding out the crown over the long drop. The winds threaten to tear it from his hands. There is the barest of twitches to his fingers, as if he means to open them, but instead he lifts it up solemnly and with his mouth twisted in anger, settles it upon his head.

Light begins to arc and fracture from the crown, throwing long reflections of the sun`s rays down on the city. A great fire surges through his body and he wreathes in agony. The pinpoints of light shooting out grow until it looks like he wears a second, larger, more radiant crown. Then, in the space of a heartbeat, a brilliant shaft of light descends from the sky to touch the golden crown. The next moment Link is gone and the balcony is empty and the sunset comes with no one to witness it`s splendor.

…..

Through the fingers of his hand he can see the City of Time, and beyond that the barren, red plains that seem to stretch to eternity. "Eternity," he muses, "That is all I have. An eternity to sit and watch the world grow old and the sun to die, to see it all borne again for my amusement. A damned eternity to be the King of Time, to live as each and every trapped soul that was ever drawn to this accursed place."

He turns his hand back and forth, one moment crawling with wrinkles and liver spots, the next a bare and dry skeleton beckoning him to oblivion. But in the same breathe the skin returns and it is young and smooth. And he clenches it tight until his knuckles turn white and when he releases it the city is gone and the mountain spews molten lava down onto a plain of black rock that seeps with rent mouths of red. He closes his hand again and when he opens it the city is alive and the sounds and colors of happy citizens reach even to his ears, so high up in the clouds. "My people," he thinks and sighs heavily. Another clenched fist and upon opening not even a mountain remains. In its place is a large crater full of water with a tiny island of dirt in the middle. A single, white gnarled tree grows on that patch of earth and at its base is the sword of Time, plunged deep into the red dirt. Outside the crater there are only the flat plains of rock, rust red under the dying efforts of a pale sun.

One last clench followed by the slow uncurling of his fingers and the world is white. Snow covers the landscape deep and great geysers of ice arc up into the air like frozen, grasping fingers. Link, dressed as he once was in the forests of so long ago, barely notices the cold. Instead he looks up at the deep blue orb that was the sun as it begins to show cracks of light across its surface. There, as great flurries of snow fall and all of the sky lies under gloom and doom, the sun explodes. It is a noiseless burst of light and Link knows the end is coming. His last thought, as other stars in the sky flare and pop like embers, is to hope with desperation that there will be no future after this.

But there is a past and suddenly he is there again reaching out to claim the crown of Time and he realizes that he will forever make that decision and forever see the world crumble around him. With a deep sigh he walks out to the balcony`s end and grasps the rail of the ever so white balcony. Already Time has stretched and broken and the land below him is now frozen in a sliver of singular present. He rubs the smooth scar on his right hand and stretches it out into the air. Through the fingers of his hand he can see the City of Time, and beyond that the barren, red plains that seem to stretch to Eternity.


	28. The Garden of Pink Petals

Rather than bear the glimpses of passing time again Link chooses to wander the precious moments of the present inside his palace. Still with great sadness he explores the halls and rooms, finally coming to a garden that sits opposite the entrance. It is an open-air garden, walled on two sides and a balcony on the third with a jaw-dropping plunge just over the rail. It's called a garden but in reality only one plant grows there, a beautiful cherry tree that spreads its large canopy over green grass. In front of the tree, round and mirror still is a large pond, reflecting the blue sky and pink blossoms, forever frozen in the act of fluttering in the mountain breeze.

To Link`s great surprise there is a woman leaning on the rail. Her back is turned and she wears a blue dress with tight fitting leather armor over it. But her hair is green and in it sparkle a hundred shining mirrors. Her name is on his tongue when her lyrical voice comes floating over the garden. "I once knew a boy who was so rude he didn`t say a word to me before he left."

"Syria!" Link shouts, full of an odd joy at seeing her again. She turns and gives him a smile to shame the flowers of the tree. She is beautiful but her beauty is not like a certain regal queen he knew but elegantly cute, like the women of the forest who face the sun, the rain and the wind all the days of their lives. She rushes around the pond and, stopping just before him, kneels and presses his hand against her forehead. "Greetings, Lord of Time."

Link pulls her up and they hug, Link speaking first. "Would that I were not, Saria. No hero, no savior, no anything but a simple man. But those wishes are lost now in time, never to be found again." His gazes out over her shoulder, eyes staring off into the distance. In a sad voice he says, "I am happy beyond belief to see you here. But equally sad, for now you are trapped as I am, divorced forever from the world we love.

Saria puts a finger to his lips and pulls him to the rail, "Link, I came to save you and perhaps more…," her voice drifting out into the air at the last words.

He grabs her shoulders and looks into her eyes, "More? But Saria, you are too late. I killed my father! Failed the hopes of all the people who depended on me. Can`t you understand that? Gannon, Hyrule, everything, all hopeless," and he sinks down with his back to the rail. Saria joins him and they sit for a time in silence. Softly, she begins to hum a melody, drifting and melancholy. It brings back happy memories to Link`s mind, After a few repetitions he picks it up and joins her in the song. It fades and Syria whispers, "They say it is a song to find strength and the will to persevere." But Link simply sighs.

…

For the space of a heartbeat, the length of eternity, they sit and talk:

"_Do you remember? The first day we met? I stood outside your hut waiting for you to get up. Oh, you were always so sleepy! And you came out and I said hi and you said hi and we both smiled shyly, and you said something so dumb but cute like "I`m Link and did you know your hair`s green?" Of course I knew who you were, everybody knew you had arrived. But I believe I giggled just the same and talked your ear off, and you smiled and yawned and gave a great wave and then ran off. Oh Goddess! Were we ever so young? _

_Ah, Saria, how could I forget! You were the first friendly face and I wanted to hug you for that smile you gave me. And then later you took me around and showed me the hidden glades and high-perches in the trees. Saria, I ….I….really appreciated those kind moments. _

_Oh, it was nothing. Anybody would have._

_But you did, even when the other boys called me an outsider. And perhaps it`s easier to say now from the perspective of passing years but the truth is I…had more than a passing friendship for you. _

_More than a friendship? What do you mean? _

_Perhaps I cared for you more than I could show, more than I could express at that age. I mean, when we went to the caverns to pick wildflowers in the deep mosses and every so often our hands would touch, it was as if you whispered words of love through your touch, like shivers of velvet, and I was very happy. And then we sat together in the late afternoon and told you about my father and you told me about the death of your sister, and our hearts were exposed to each other. I began to hope then that I might win your heart in the future. For I was so young and you, more than two years older and so much more wise about those things. But then, Saria, you had to go, saying you had a boy waiting for you and you were going to the twilight festival to dance. And all of a sudden the flowers and drifting fireflies meant nothing to me and I wanted to smash something beautiful. _

_Oh, Link. I had no idea, and that boy? He was just a fling, a quick summer romance, and I liked him only for the tales he could tell of his father`s visits to Hyrule Castle. Oh, why didn`t you say something? _

_Because even at that age I could never violate what I thought laid between you two. Because I thought that as much as I like you, you in turn where loved equally by that other boy first and I could never ruin those feelings, no matter what I felt. I mean what right did I have to come between? _

_Oh, you fool. You poor, courageous fool! A girl`s heart is her own and no one can make her decide but herself. You should have said something, a word, the merest whisper of your feeling and things would have been so different. _

_Different? _

_Different. I…I….loved you. _

_Me? No. _

_Yes! A thousand times yes. The way you spoke so painfully of leaving home, the way you could laugh as if your cares were forgotten, how you rushed about the village, helping everyone even when they called your names. I watched you in the mornings as you practiced with that wooden sword and watched you talk with the other girls of the village and I knew my first taste of jealousy. _

_But we talked often, and long. And I was forever afraid to speak my feelings. But why not a word from you? A single word and I would have carried you away with a torrent of mine. _

_A silly thing, a girl`s fear. You were not made to stay in our village, I could see that even at a young age. You were forever curious. And I was afraid that if I spoke my feelings you would stay here in the village with me even if it made you unhappy. _

_But…every time we spoke? _

_Yes._

_And every time we touched? _

_Yes. _

_And that night I came back bloody with revenge? _

_Yes, for that, in my heart of hearts, is what I wanted to do too. And it tore my heart, Link, when I saw you leave on that early morning and our eyes met and I had no words for you. _

_Nor I, only that I had to flee again, away from the village. I`m sorry I never gave you one word but ran away. That moment stands as a deep regret in my memories. _

_We were so stupid and foolish. _

_Yes, but we`re here now, aren`t we?_

_Yes and there`s time enough now, isn`t there? _

_Yes, there`s always time. _

_It`s good to see you Link. _

His hand finds her cheek and cups it gently, pausing to look into her green eyes before falling into a kiss.

…

Love grows again in the garden as they share grief and tales of despair, shoring up their failing hope with short stories of happiness. He shows her the wheeling of Time and the power he has at his command. He takes her down amid the streets of his city and brings her into the time when the citizens of the city happily inhabit their lives. But as much as they love each other, Saria still notices the flashes of anguish that occasionally slip over Link`s face. One morning she comes to him in the past as he sits at the railing gazing over his city decorated with red ribbon and speaks to him, "Link, I can be selfish no longer. You must let go of the past; the people down there? They are long gone and now simply ghosts of a memory. You must realize that it is your choice to decide. What your father did, he did. You can be different; you must be different!"

Link turns to her and takes her hand, "even if I could, the memories of these moments would be lost. Right now they are the only precious things I have."

Saria pulls her hand out of his and looks out over the drifting clouds and the silver slivers of small rivers. "I am not afraid of losing them, Link. Life is experience, take it as it comes and that is all!" "What of our love, Saria? Am I to abandon that?" says Link.

Saria laughs, "love? Love is being torn apart. Love is a cold, steel spike of agony that pierces the heart. Love is a fading memory of longing that leaves nothing but a wild ache and crashing waves of sorrow.

But that is love in the embrace of loss and cannot first arrive without the experience of that which is honest, immediate and perfect, true love.

Lost in love? Love lost? Love too weak or too strong, love undefined or defined by years, moments and minutes? Love in a memory, your face gleaming and haloed, a sun burst of aching longing, every second of every day? Would I pay the price for the singular experience of knowing, for a certainty, the taste and sight of true love? Gladly."

Link sighs and his shoulders drop. "Every second I think about what I should have done. But I am trapped, Syria, trapped forever until the next fool wanders in to take over." Saria slaps him once, then takes his hand and kisses it softly, "Life is not fated and everything is not a repeating circle. You truly have the power to choose, but," and she puts her hand over his heart, "you must have the courage to do so. Please! There are good people out there right now, living and fighting for peace. You can help them! Please!"

Link turns away from her tear-stained face to gaze out over his land. He hears her begin to hum that peculiar melody, and touching the scar on his hand one more time, whispers the word "courage" and closes his eyes.

…..

Link opens his eyes and the crown is in his hands, hanging over the plunging abyss. Saria`s melody is on his lips and he hums it out. The metal of the crown begins to darken and crumble and he opens his hands. The crown falls, tumbling in the wind and dwindling until it is nothing more than a tiny golden speck. Suddenly a great pulse of energy comes rushing up the cliff face, sweeping over the city and the palace. Link feels a great weight suddenly lifted off his shoulders, and picking up his sword gives a shout of joy before rushing off into the palace and downstairs towards the garden.

Everywhere is are the signs of time returned and as he passes the domed ceiling medallions begin to drop one by one, falling like rain. The first flashes by his head and in a fit of light-hearted amusement he slashes at it with his sword, sending the cut medallion flying out the door and down millions of steps. He halts at the entrance of the garden and gives a small smile at seeing the woman in blue there leaning on the rail. He walks into the garden, stepping onto the gravel path. Her voice comes up, giving him the same greeting. He shouts her name out and she turns, giving him that smile that outshines time itself. Saria runs around the tree and pond to embrace Link tightly and happily. They pull apart and touch foreheads, whispering their names together softly.

Saria`s eyes suddenly widen and Link looks down to see the tip of a silvered sword protruding from her stomach. "Link," she says faintly and slides to the ground, her blood seeping out over her blue dress and coating the pebbles of the ground with bright blood. Behind her, rising from the surface of the pond and reflecting the world on every surface of its body is Link`s mirror twin, the dark essence that was ripped so harshly from his soul. Saria`s blood stains it`s tip and casts ripples of red up its chest and head. Slowly, so slowly that Link has time to sink to his knees in horror and caress Saria`s cheek once, the evil twin pulls its feet from the pond and advances on the two figures.

"No, no, no," whispers Link, over and over as the rippling figure towers over him, sword raised high. But in the last second before the sword descends Link sees his reflection in the creature's chest, catches the sight of the tattoo glowing so brightly. He flings a giant "No!" out, a furious hate at every happy memory now ruined by this monstrous creature. Link roars wordlessly and jumps forward with drawn sword.

His twin meets him blow for blow and they circle around the small garden, trading feints, parries, counters and brute cuts. Link feels rage and sorrow waging a war on his concentration and fears for this distraction. But he will not run.

He retreats across the garden towards the white railing. The sun sits low and fiery, casting orange flame across the creature`s skin. Back to the rail Link fights with all his skill as his foe, painted with the dying colors of the sky, returns every cut. With quiet desperation Link sheathes his sword, catches the wrist of his enemy and together they tumble over the rail. All that is heard is a harsh, metallic laugh, grating on the ears of all good men and sounding like anvils driven together with unnatural force; fading and fading and fading.

A hand suddenly shoots over the railing, the single triangle on its skin glowing with life. Link pulls himself up and over, falling to the soft grass. After a while he stumbles over to the red-stained body of Saria, unbuckles his sword to throw it aside and kneels besides her. With her last breath she whispers the words, "She still waits for you, my friend. Go to the temple in the forest." He leans down and kisses her lips as the last edge of the sun sinks below the horizon, leaving Link alone with his grief.

Long he sits, sobbing into the folds of her dress, running a hand over her green hair. The stars come out and in the lights of a half-moon he picks her body up and wades into the dark water of the pond. Pink petals drift down in the slight wind and fall here and there upon her body. Link lowers her into the water, disturbing the bowl of stars that sit upon the surface. He touches her lips and whispers two words, "Thank you," and lets her go. Saria sinks slowly down into the blue depths. Her face is the last to disappear and the sight will stay with him forever; her face pale and peaceful, framed with floating green hair. Then she is gone and the water is still again; pink flowers floating and white stars reflecting.

He comes out dripping onto the grass and sits hard, holding a single pink petal between his fingers and unable to think of anything other than that petal. A blue shaft of light suddenly shoots out of the pond, illuminating the bottom branches of the tree. It slowly takes the form of Saria, serene and beautiful. She speaks no words but smiles sadly and waves. The light fades and the garden is dark again; Link has found the third sage.

But it is no consolation to the memory of love and he walks away from the garden a colder man.

…..

His sword and pack on, he descends the stairs with a hard face, not pausing until he reaches the wharf. There he jumps into the river and swims over to the other side where he gets out and starts walking East, towards the nearest town and a rendezvous with a certain boat captain. When dawn peaks her head above the mountains Link looks back and over the hills he can see a great spreading cloud of dust and he knows then that the City of Time has been reclaimed by eternity.


	29. The Triforce United

A cold wind blows through the green forest as ghostly tendrils of white fog course and clutch about the bases of long and thin stately trunks. The day grows old over this part of Hyrule and the skies overhead thicken into gray soup as the bright light of the sun struggles to shine through, leaving the world under it in a dark and dank shadow-filled time. Drops of dew quiver on the tips of green needles and drop down on broad leafs, a prophetic message of the downpour soon to come. Electricity tingles along the spine and were a nose lifted to the scent, a charged, powerfully burnt smell would pervade.

Through it all and over the tops of the trees a blue jay soars for the very vaults of heaven, trying with all the might of its tiny wings to pierce the gray clouds and reach the peace of blue upon blue. But the beak of the poor bird barely scrapes the clouds before the winds tear it down, and like the men who fail in the act of achieving their dreams, spirals down and down towards the forest canopy. Its wings flap and the brave bird crashes through several layers of thick branches and nearly ruinous sharp needles. It alights raggedly upon the lowest branch 15 feet above a ring of armored women who stand solid and unmoving over a kneeling figure in the center. All is quiet and low fingers of mist curl about the women`s ankles and nearly obscure the body of the kneeling man so that only his head, bowed as it is, seems to float freely.

The ring of women suddenly tightens by one step, each one raising a dull, silver blade in unison. Another step and the circle of points grow tighter. The man, his hands bound together at his back, jerks once, the barest of twitches for his sword which lies still sheathed at his back. A twitch but the women as one jump back as if fearing the worst. All is still again and in the silence the blue jay sings, giving voice to its frustration at flying so close to the sun yet seeing so little. All the women, even the captive turn an eye upwards towards the intrusion of so sweet a voice.

But it is the distraction of a moment and the leader, a grizzled woman with a scar crescenting her eye sneers and steps forward first, bringing her sharp sword up. The sudden movement catches the eye of the bird and it flings itself up, threading through the eye of the forest to try again to soar higher than its nature. The bird`s departure shakes the branch directly overhead the tense scene and its vibration lets loose a single drop of water which plunges downward towards the captive man.

To Link, with his hands bound and about to die, the dew drop seems to hang for an eternity and in that moment a great hollow bell rings out of the forest and echoes in his ear. It slices through his mind and wakes him to the moment of action.

He breaks his bonds to grab and draw his sword, flicking the falling drop with the tip and sending the drop of water into the leader`s eye. The women struggles back, more surprised than blinded. Her reaction gives her the honor of being the last to die. With his sword out Link continues forward with the draw, slicing through the neck of one woman, arm still raised to slash down. He pivots on one foot as another follows, the slash of the second falling short as Link`s blade catches the underside of her jaw. Three left, and Link lets out a yell that freezes them in their tracks. He stands up from a crouch and starts to move his sword in a small circle. His sword catches the first charge high and steps forward into a neck thrust. He bangs the second low to the left and cuts high to cleave the woman in two. The leader, the last, is blocked with such strength that it leaves her sword shattered. Before she can react Link pivots a full turn and cuts clearly from armpit to armpit. The woman, so eager to kill and so quick to die slumps to the misty ground, displacing the white fog only for a moment, the next covered again leaving only the purity of haunting mists to swirl about Link. He heaves and breathes, and a drop of blood plunges from the tip of his sword into the pool of white. Seeing no more movement he plunges his sword into the ground, rummages around for his pack and straps everything on again. He grabs the hilt of his sword as he strides from the bloody scene, entering the dank of the forest again and closer towards the loneliest place a man can know: childhood haunts turned sinister in the years of adulthood.

…

The maw that flicks with the fireflies of cursed people and the moans of trapped spirits; that is Link`s goal. Once nothing more than a single green seed growing between the fingers of a small child rocked with grief. It grew and grew, sticking it`s great crown above its lesser children. When Gannon turned his eye and roving hand upon the beautiful land, the great Deku Tree retreated deep within itself, pulling and protecting certain creatures and animals. Over the years the great darkness raged around the tree, infecting the land and forcing the Deku to become a bastion of good, a temple of the forest. The rumors of the wild children, mad howls at night, told of an elegant melody that came out of the tree in the deepest of the darkest nights. This maw, this wooded castle of the forest is Link`s destination and before the mists swallow him up again a slight glow of some kind from a jar hanging at his waist can be seen. Now there is nothing, only the swirling dragons of mists and fog that chase each around in the silent dreams of the forest.

…..

On an ash-covered ridge in the Hyrule forest; on a day when the sky wars with itself, knife cuts in the clouds sending shafts of illuminated gold down on the landscape, Sheik sits, gazing out at the land that was once so beautiful. When small breezes chance to blow around her they send swirls of ash into the air. "Like falling snow" she thinks sadly as the bits of gray drift down on the white and blue leather of her outfit. It leaves smudges between her fingers as she catches them and she tries to imagine snowflakes in their cold symmetry.

But ash is ash and is nothing but the reminder of what once was and all thoughts of winter weather, white and pure, dissolve at the sight before her. Sheik once heard the tales of these forests, some from short conversations with Link. Whole, unbroken stretches of forests used to cover this land and beneath their canopies lived many happy natives of the trees.

When she thinks upon the time before she was Sheik, though it is hard and slashed with painful streaks of red, certain memories of her father surface. He used to sit her on his lap in sun-drenched courtyards and tell her tales of the kingdom and the lands she would one day command. He would always say the Kokiri and their hidden vales and glades held the innocence of Hyrule.

"Daughter," he would tell her, looking down with the great weight of the crown upon his head, "as much as it is honorable and right to govern this kingdom it has its fair share of heavy responsibility. None of our ancestors have grown to love it so much that they delight in the power they wield. Sometimes the burden grows wearisome and that is when I wish I could be a faceless servant with no care for the thousands of souls living in this land. When that feeling comes I sometimes walk the forests to the West and see the innocence and the youthful joy in which the people live their lives there. And that, my dear sweet daughter, is why some of us must bear this heavy burden: so that others may live so free."

A hard conversation, lost on the young girl at the time, but which is all too sadly understood by Sheik as she gazes at the land below her. From the ridge the whole world could be ash. The mountains in the distance rise up, cradling this large valley, and where once an unbroken plain of tree tops blew in the breeze, now only twisting tornadoes of dust and ash blow across the barren land. Blackened and jagged poles jut above the plains of ash; here and there the skeletal remains of a canopy sticking up, like the hand of some buried body in the last moments before death, clawing upwards through soil towards the sky, in fear, grasping and twisting for life. In the middle of all this nothingness is a small patch of green; a circular bit of forests several miles wide. Rising from this oasis of green is a single large Deku tree. It towers above the rest and looks to be several times larger than the rumored Great Deku she had been told about. But that one had died and this new one had been nothing more than a seedling only seven years ago. "But that is where the last sage is," thinks Sheik and knows that she must reach the spot before Link.

But still she hesitates and thinks and these are the thoughts that travel through her mind:

"One flower. That is all there is in this waste, one yellow flower. Here things diverge and I can see myself leaving it be and this land remaining desolate and I see my body lying deep in a ditch under shovelfuls of ash. But were I to pick it, scattering the seeds to the wind, the visions then come to me of green grass and trees growing and these yellow flowers poking up everywhere. Oh, why does the future change so much on these little events? And it shifts so often! Every moment, every action the landscape of the future changes and I can only try to blindly thread my way through it all. Great mountains rise up and the earth drops away to deep crevasses and these are obstacles I cannot see past. How many times have I seen Link dead and myself a captive of Gannon? How many times equally have I seen my own death and nothing past that but blackness? Oh! Such knowledge is a curse! I must choose between a thousand paths, never knowing more than what lies before the horizon. I know I must reach the forest temple before Link, for my power shows him finding the sage if I do. But my future lies blurred in that direction. What does that mean?"

Her thoughts run in circles inside of circles and nothing is resolved, and she thinks bitterly of the saying her mentor once taught her, "To know one`s future brings uncertainty, for we ever rebel against destiny."

Finally Sheik rises and sets off at a trot towards the still living forest, but not before pausing to pluck the yellow flower and send it drifting off on the wind.

….

The sun grows brighter as gaps in the trees appear in the distance. Link`s senses, stretched already to the limit, grow harried as he tries to see past the green foliage out past where the trees end. The bare wind, trapped as it is by the close growing trunks, blows past his shoulder, bringing a touch of relief. Thirty feet from the edge of the forest he halts, sheathes his sword and eases the tension from his shoulders. "Fairly there," he thinks. Bits of gray begin to fill the air between the brown trunks, looking like dancing motes in the afternoon sun. Near the edge Link reaches up to grab one and his fingers come away sooty.

"Strange," he mutters and emerges into the open. It is blinding at first, the sun, but when his eyes clear he gasps and sinks to his knees.

….

Sheik pulls out her harp and runs lightly over the strings, watching them vibrate and hearing the notes echo out into the lonely clearing. She sits cross-legged on a narrow island of rock that juts out next to the great tree, dwarfed under the immense presence of its towering height; sitting and waiting for the man that must arrive.

A song appears out of the random plucking and soon the scene is filled with a melody of ascending notes that crescendo and waterfall down to skip lightly over the heart like the wind that touches upon a lake and leaves only ripples.

It is a song made in the solitary parts of the word, where she wondered sight out of mind, mourning her lost kingdom. Made during a time when the future looked bleak and she felt cut adrift from all that had meant something to her once. The misery and desperation of her heart had poured out into the strings of her harp and been transformed into this amazing song.

As she plays the harp the wrinkles around her mouth fade and the drifting paths of myriad futures are forgotten. She closes her eyes and loses her self to the rhythm of the song and the power that is and has always been comes forth. Hidden in each and every descendant of the royal line is the power to inspire; to truly transcend belief and inspire the best, the truth, the core of goodness that lies at the depths of the hearts of men and women. Few of the noble line ever needed it and fewer even ever discovered it. It manifests itself as a blazing harmony of music that reached the ears of its listeners and turned their thoughts and hearts upon the truth that exists within them. It can destroy those whose selves are built on lies or lift up the saddened soul whose doubts bury them under a mountain.

For Link, as he parts the boughs of a tree and emerges into the clearing, it is the clearest breath of air he has had since; and here he pauses trying to remember ever a time of such certainty and peace. There is only the dimmest of recollections of some far-off island and solitude so deep that all troubles fade at the touch it makes upon his mind. But he stops trying and stands in the small clearing, looking up at Sheik strumming and behind her, the massive trunk that is the Great Deku Tree. Small bugs flit about in the rays of the sun and beyond the music there is the deep silence that only a forest can afford.

The song ends, her eyes open and they lock gazes, and for the moment there is only the two of them. Then Link brushes away the hair from his eyes and smiles. Sheik returns it with a smile of her own so soft and bright with life that Link`s heart skips a beat at the memory of another who once smiled at him so.

"Hello Link. Good to see you again."

"Hello Sheik, it`s good to see a friendly face." But his face hardens again and he asks her with a passionless voice, "Are you to be the final sage?"

"No! I`m not ready to leave this world yet, but I believe you will find who you seek inside."

"Any news from our friends?"

"The resistance rejoices with every report of your success. They are few but our ranks swell every day. Even the Zora emerge from their frozen lakes to help us again."

"Success? It feels like I stumble from one scene of madness to the other, extinguishing life only to do so again and again. Can you tell me Sheik, what good am I doing? I used to believe, used to struggle for something. Her name was Zelda and she meant so much to so many people. But she is gone and I find my purpose weakening with every blow of my sword."

Sheik`s hand comes up, an involuntary act, to reach out to the wounded soul. But her hand, the one concealing the tattoo of their triforce, suddenly burns and she snatches back her hand. Link too suddenly gasps in pain as his tattoo flares with a golden brilliance.

Hahahahaahhaha," laughter rings around the open clearing, deep and rich with malevolent enjoyment. Link`s eyes go wide and he draws his sword, looking past the shoulder of Sheik. She turns and looming dark and large behind her is Gannon, in all his glory. His hair, a flaming orange and his grin, sharp and sadistic. And he chuckles through white teeth and looks down at the two figures with mad glee in his eyes. He raises his hand, the triforce of power so bright it leaves a trail of light in the eyes, and squeezes his hand into a fist, uttering only three words, ".Mine!"

A keening wail grows as if the voices of all Gannon`s victims screamed at once. It rises so loud that Sheik and Link both cover their ears in agony. But it stops and when it does the lights of the world go out. Not just dark or the blackness of night but the total smothering of all color. The voice of Gannon comes to Link, a whisper of death into his ear, "Now you die, boy!"

Link has faced death many times, but always with an adversary he could see and fight. This smothering blankness sinks him to his knees under the weight of despair, Gannon`s power bringing out all the doubts and self-hatreds that Link tried to keep down. He feels the grass under his fingers and thinks, "at least I die in the forest."

"Link!" Sheik`s voice cuts through the void. "Link!" But he doesn`t answer, only sinks slowly towards the ground.

The first notes are hopelessly lost in the blackness, but then they come again and again, growing stronger with every desperate strum. Eventually they grow into a melody that falls into Link`s ears like the soothing voice of his lost mother, and it beckons him back from the edge of death. The melody becomes a glorious song and suddenly Link can rise and suddenly his heart is filled with the desire to live and know a time of peace that is not corrupted by all that the man before him touches. The song abruptly ends and Link hears a frightened "No!" and that is enough. He thrusts a blazing hand forward, streaking the clearing with arcs of light and revealing Gannon holding Sheik in a tight grip.

"Let her go!" he yells and throws his sword through the air. It tumbles pommel over point and it pierces Gannon`s shoulder, throwing him back against the bank and into the shadows. There is a wordless howl of rage and the darkness around Gannon is suddenly gone as his fist glows with dripping flame. He casts the ball of fire towards Link, and it flies fast, leaving a streak of light and shadow in its wake. Link, his tattoo burning fiercely, grabs the first thing at his belt, and apologizing silently to Navi, swings the glass jar at the tumbling fireball. Fire and glass meet in a tremendous crash and, amazingly, the ball of tumbling flame is deflected. It flies back to strike a surprised Gannon full in the chest, sending him tumbling head over heels back into the shadows.

Light and color return to the world. Link springs forward to climb the bank and check on Sheik. He looser her to view as he starts to climb the rocky wall, but he soon reaches the lip and puts his hand over to pull himself up. "No," he whispers, for while his head is clear, he is still on the rock wall and can do nothing as Gannon strides towards a silent Sheik. He finally reaches his feet, but when he does it is too late. Gannon stands behind Sheik, large and fierce and mouth curled downwards in rage. Sheik only smiles sadly as she removes the wrapped headband she always wears. It comes undone in a second and as the white wrap falls away her blond hair tumbles down around her shoulders. Gannon scowls once more, narrowing his eyes and saying "Another time boy," and before Link can move a step, he wraps the woman in his cape and disappears.

Link stumbles, arm outstretched to where the two vanished, his face frozen in disbelief. In the quiet of the clearing one word escapes from his lips and that word is his hope both raised exceedingly high and dashed hopelessly low at once. And it escapes from his lips as he grasps at stalks of grass and falls to the ground staring up at the gray sky, "Zelda!"


	30. A Heros Burden

Under the swirling galaxies and fathomless depths of a twinkling net of blackness the Fairy Queen stirs a finger in the water of her pool. The ripples spread outward, replacing the reflections of the heavens with a vision of a grassy glade within a green forest. Her faeries ring the pool, sitting or hovering above the white marble steps. One flies forward, a bright aura of orange around her small body, and speaks in a musical voice.

"It`s so unfair! That look between the two, the struggles they`ve been through. Only to be dashed to pieces at the last second! My Queen, why does he suffer so much misfortune when the hopes of so many ride on his success?"

The Fairy Queen, her face lit by the glow of the pool, sighs and looks around at all her little ones. "What I fear more than unfairness is how much tragedy this one man can take before he breaks. He is only one man after all, and as you should know destiny favors no one side. What is evil but a man more willing to kill to achieve his desires. Should Link break the very bonds of his morality to save the greater good? Who are we to ask him to sacrifice himself on our behalf? No. We can only do small things and hope that Link has the strength to choose wisely."

Another fairy rises up over the others and speaks, "Mother, surely you must see how this turns out? What are our chances?"

"I cannot see the future of this young man or his kingdom." Her voice turns low and sad, "but I remember the past and a certain night when Link blamed himself for a death and nearly lost himself to his madness. That night Navi saved him and I only pray that she can do so again."

A small fairy speaks up, "and if she can`t?"

The Fairy Queen is silent for a moment, watching the pool, watching Link on his knees in the grass, his hands clenched around his sword and head bowed. Her voice quivers as she speaks, "Then we are lost. For that is the most dangerous kind of man: one who no longer constrains himself to a certain morality; a wild beast of a man who has finally awoken from his dreams of humanity and howls at the moon, now a predator in the dark, one who hungers for the sharp gleam of blood in the stars light of the night."

…

Indeed deep in his heart of hearts there is a very real sense of betrayal. Long lingering in his heart is the sense that life holds no meaning for him and that he is doomed to suffer failure after failure while others receive their measure of happiness. It is a selfish notion that Link has always been able to suppress under the call of duty and service to the good. But blow after blow of hardships has reduced his sanity to a dwindling pin-prick of white within his mind and now, as he shudders on the grass with his head bowed to the sword, a swirling mass of rage builds inside him. His knuckles turn white around the sword`s hilt.

Every man has a breaking point, a line beyond which he cannot see but knows that a certain oblivion awaits. Every image and memory of death parades before his closed eyes and every failure pounds on his soul. Zelda smiles sadly again and again, her beautiful face disappearing behind the dark cloak of Gannon. And then Link can simply fight it no longer and he lets go. And as he falls down into a dark oblivion there seems to be a last image before his eyes: crumbling cliffs and surging waves and a small girl falling into the ocean. Then there is nothing.

….

The man who was Link rises and looks towards the wide maw of the Deku Tree. There is no expression on his face as he takes in the great eyes and nose that look carved out, nor does his sword waver as he takes step after step into the mouth that is open wide in a silent, frozen scream.

Inside the tree is a vast hollow with the floor covered by a carpet of wildflowers. A ramp grown outward from the wall spirals upward into the darkness. Strange and unnatural tendrils of purplish-black gunk coat portions of the walls and glow an incandescent blue. Underneath the alien gunk and on almost every available surface are words; long, curved words that run on and on in infinite sentences upon the skin of the tree. They would be indecipherable to Link were he aware, for they are the language of the forest and save the faeries only the swaying trees can read it.

From the bed of wildflowers numerous hairy backs slowly rise up. They are followed by large ears and mouths full of sharp teeth. Yellow eyes track the man in green and low growls come from hungry throats. The wild wolves dash as one towards Link, some lunging high and others going low for his ankles. But they are no trouble for a man no longer afraid of dying or worried about saving the day. He pivots in a circle, slicing clearly through jaws and throats. He leans over to stab the wounded and even pauses to kick the lifeless body of a wolf over onto a pile of elegant flowers.

Up the spiral he climbs, his footsteps echoing into the silent hollow. Spiders drop down from above, aiming at his head with dripping fangs of poison. He steps back from their thrusts and as they bounce and turn on their web pale, screaming faces come into focus. They moan from the spider`s soft underbelly, twisting within the white and black skin, gnashing their teeth and writhing wildly.

But there no longer is any mercy within Link and no hope for the trapped and warped souls within. His sword thrusts are quick, splitting each and every face and the spiders drop to the ramp to be kicked off to the floor below.

Still he climbs, his pace maddeningly exact, his feet lifting and stomping on the skulls of creatures that dare stand in his path. Some, like the Deku Scrub, a small bush-like creature that lives in the musty nooks of the tree only defend their territory. Others are possessed by the evil that taints the tree; shambling, red-eyed monstrosities that are driven to attack anything. All alike find themselves adorning Link`s sword or speckled in tiny dots upon his green tunic. And still he climbs.

The ramp ends in a circular room, nearly covered with spreading tendrils. Their bluish glow turns the blood on Link nearly black so that he looks like a demon with calm eyes. Numerous rooms branch off from the center and Link goes to the closest. Inside a man sits slumped on a chair, the table in front of him littered with molding food. His breathing is steady but his eyes stare blankly ahead. He is dressed in the colors of the forest. Link turns away and goes to the next. Inside this one two wolves tear into an unrecognizable piece of meat, black gore spattered on the walls. He turns away.

The next turns out to be a long corridor lined with rooms. Inside every one people of the forest lie in various positions, eyes dazed and chests rising and falling in even measures. Some have small winged parasites attached to the neck, making small sucking sounds. But Link`s eyes are cold and distant and he turns away, still searching.

At the end of the corridor a tunnel winds upwards, getting smaller and smaller until Link is crawling on hands and knees, clothes covered in purple filth. It ends with a small hole above his head. He shoves through and enters into the bright light of day. Thick branches jut out in every direction and overhead broad, green leaves sway in the wind. In the middle of all this is the level bark, smooth and flat upon which he stands. But he is not alone, for before him is the source of the taint that has corrupted the Deku Tree.

It once was a man. It once could move and walk and speak. Now it cannot do anything but moan and lash out with its monstrous body. It is hideous and pitiful, for through the vines that wrap its body a pain-wracked face can be seen. Its mouth is open, mirroring the silent scream of the Deku Tree, but the writhing vines that whip and lash about make more noise than even the howling wind. It seems to sense Link standing quietly at the edge and quicker than thought lashes a thorn-tipped vine in his direction. Link barely moves, just raises a hand to let it wrap around his arm, blood oozing down in fresh lines. It pulls taut trying to draw Link closer to wrap more tentacles around and suffocate the life out of him. But he doesn`t budge, just keeps a steely gaze on the exposed face of the tortured soul within.

A hissing voice comes from within, sounding like the slithering of snakes hidden in deep grass. "We know who you are, murderer, kin slayer, destroyer of the innocents. How can you show your face here when you burned the last Great tree?" Silence. The hissing rises, "A hero with no words, how rare! Your death will not matter to anyone, your blood will soak into the veins of this tree and in time no one will remember your name."

The face inside the mass of vines sneers, and finally Link shows some emotion and sneers back. For exposed by that sneer is a gray blob attached to the poor soul`s neck. It pulses irregularly and seems to be the source of all the frantic vine movement. Link finally opens his mouth to speak and the words that come out are as cold and lifeless as his eyes. "But I remember your name, Mido."

With those words he relaxes and lets the vine pull him forward. It yanks hard, tugging Link off his feet and flying into the mass of deadly vines. But he does not go to his death. With his free hand he points his sword at the gray blob and lands with both feet on the chest of the encased figure. The sword is driven in deep and Link makes sure to twist it back and forth, in and out. There is a scream like something crying out from being burned alive and the vines around Link`s arm and neck start to rot away.

Within minutes the vines encasing the man have become nothing more than stringy vegetables on the smooth, brown bark. The sneer on Link`s lips is still there as he bends down and seizes the small naked man by his orange hair. He drags the stunned man over to the edge where the tree drops away hundreds of feet down to grassy meadows and hard rocks. The wind whips by, rustling Link`s golden hair and sending a cascade of falling leaves down around the two.

Link pushes him up against the edge and places his sword point against the man`s chest. Mido seems to wake quickly and utters a curse at seeing his predicament. "Wait," he yells out, throwing up a hand in Link`s direction. "It was Gannon`s doing, all of it. I had no choice! He made me carry that blob into the Tree and before I knew it the damn thing had taken over me! I swear it!" Silence again and Link still sneers. Mido grows desperate, "Don`t you see! I had to promise Gannon. It was that or watch this forest die. I…" and he peers closer at Link. "You`re him aren`t you! By the Goddess, Link! You`re still alive! Don`t you remember me from the Kokiri Village? Sure we teased you but I always thought the best of you myself. Cmon!" Still silence, but Link`s eyes flicker out beyond Mido`s face at the gray plateau of ash. Mido tries again, "You think I`m responsible for this, this ash and destruction? I tried to save it, I did. Please, Link, I tried to save it!"

Link looks back into his face and the sneer fades, replaced by a gaze that goes through Mido, through the forest beyond, past the world and everything in it. There are voices in his past that cry out, "Help us," but he gazes out from a dark abyss and levels the whole world to a flat point with eyes that say "Why should I?" With that he plants a booted heel on the chest of Mido and as he sails off the edge into the forest below Link parts his lips once more and utters four cold words, "You should`ve tried harder."

His scream is incredibly long.

Link turns and lets his sword clatter to the floor. The wind still whips by sending his hair in wild twists. He sinks to the floor himself, sitting cross-legged and staring emptily at nothing at all. The sun starts to sink and the light fades. All of a sudden an orange glow pops up from the hole in the floor and floats over towards Link. As it draws closer Link can see that it is a small fairy. It buzzes around his head before flying at his cheek and delivering a long scratch that draws blood. Link swats it away, but his strength is not in the effort and the fairy returns.

In a small and pained voice it yells out at Link, "Hey! You vile monster! What did you do! That man was innocent! He tried to save this forest and the Deku Tree! Who are you!" Silence again, Link hardly noticing the fairy as it flies in front of his nose. "I was his fairy! He was a good man and was only corrupted by the prospect of saving his home!" Link`s silence enrages the fairy and it buzzes backwards to scratch his face again. But Link`s hand comes up and grabs the fragile fairy. It screeches and claws at his fingers. But there is no escape and Link looks down at it emotionlessly, already tightening his fist slowly.

There is a loud crash at his hip and a blue glow brighter than a star rises in front of his eyes. "Let her go Link, please," Navi whispers, her small arms raised towards his eyes. "Let her go and take me if you must." But his fist still tightens and the fairy begins to scream in short whimpers. Navi lands on his nose and looks deep into his eyes. "Link," she says, "I know you`re in there. Listen to me please!" From deep within his dead eyes there seems to be a flash of recognition. But it is gone as quickly as it appears. Link opens his hand and lets the orange fairy fly limply away. Navi sighs, but Link simply grabs her instead and resumes his crushing grip.

"Link," she manages in a weak voice, his fingers barely leaving enough room to talk, "remember when you ran away from the blood and death in the night so long ago? You were young but you knew even then the madness that lies in the business of a hero. You have loved, you have lost and you have killed. You have passed beyond what you think a hero is and slipped away into an uncaring abyss. I know, because I have been there as well." There is no change in his face but his hands loosen and Navi manages to struggle free and drift to the floor. Link lets his hands fall to his lap and falls over backwards to lay flat on the floor. Navi climbs onto his chest and continues to talk.

"I was captured and for five years was forced to steal the very essence of life from the enemies of Gannon. It is the very opposite of our magic and it ripped my heart every time I pulled a man`s soul from his body. I became lost inside myself and cared not whether I lived or died. When you rescued me I knew not who you were. But I am awake now and it is my fault that I was not there to prevent this madness. But Link, you are a hero. It is not just a word, but the life of a man who carries the world on his back. You must be strong for all of us for we cannot always be strong for you. Please come back, it is not too late for the world. We need you, Link, I need you. Please don`t let my sacrifice be in vain."

Her words, especially the last ones, sink deep into Link, deep into the abyss where he sits curled up in a ball. And they draw him upwards, away from oblivion. His eyes blink twice and a long, low sigh escapes his lips. Above him, through the gaps of the swaying leaves, the tendrils of orange from the setting sun color the sky in a flaming, vibrant display. "Navi," his husky voice whispers, "do you remember when I told you about that statue? The one in the city?"

Navi chokes back a cry and answers, "Yes Link I do. I truly do even though I seemed lost. Tell me about it."

Link`s voice is far away and slow as if the memories are distant. "I never told you what it looked like. It stood on a low pedestal in a small courtyard, wrapped in ivy. The figure was a man in simple armor kneeling with his head pressed to the hilt of a sword pointed down. His hands rested on the cross-piece and across his back was slung a smooth shield." Here he pauses and takes a deep breath before resuming. "I remember walking up to the pedestal to clear away the ivy and finding a brass plaque set in the stone. There were words engraved there which are still clearer in my mind than my own father`s face. "_Protector of the Queen_," it said, and underneath were two lines: _Courage to serve the Queen. Courage to be the Queen`s hope. _At its base were one or two fresh flowers and I remember, without knowing why, of climbing up to stand on the pedestal. Do you know what I found? It`s head was bowed in the direction of the castle."

Navi smiles sadly, knowing Link had found an anchor again within this world. She walks along his chest to his upturned face and caresses his cheek bone once. "A hero requires courage, Link, that is true. But he needs hope more than courage; hope that some happiness may be found in the future. Believe in that, Link, believe in that with all your being." With those last words she lifts off his chest and floats above him. In the twilight she begins to glow brighter and brighter. Finally returned to himself, Link sits up and shields his eyes from the nova that is Navi.

She glows so bright that all shadows vanish. A high ringing fills Link`s ears and he can barely hear himself shout her name.

…..

The galaxies above spin and whirl but the gathered fairies hide their eyes and weep. The Fairy Queen looks sadly down into the pool and whispers "Farewell my little one."

….

With a final flash Navi`s blue glow winks out and she drops towards the floor. Link dives forward and catches her in his hands. Her face, so long tormented and sad, is now finally at peace. Link lowers her small body to the surface of the bark and gently spreads her wings so that she may be beautiful even in death. He finds small tears splashing down around her and before he can stop himself he is crying uncontrollably. His sobs are loud and deep, each one like a memory tearing itself out of his body. He rocks back and forth over Navi, pouring out the grief of every painful loss that drove him past the limits of endurance. He cries like a child and it is not until the sky begins to lighten in the East that he can stop the tears.

The sunrise is like none he has ever seen. It is fresh and clear and bright, and as he watches the sky become infused with a blossoming blue hope finds room in his heart. He dries his eyes and looks towards Navi and speaks, "Thank you. I am ready again." Her body flashes a pale blue and then is gone. In its place is the pale form of Navi, ghostly and shimmering. She waves once then fades. "I understand. The forms fit, the price is paid and I have found the last sage. A hero I am then," and he stands and walks to the edge. The light of the new day falls across the ashen plateau and before his eyes small green sprouts can be seen slowly pushing up. Loud voices come up from below, joyous and happy, and alive. Link puts a hand up on a slender branch and looks up through green leaves. "Or at least I must have the courage to try."


	31. To Talk of Power

Link lies in his bedroll and looks upwards at the twilight sky as it slowly fades into the consuming darkness. His thoughts run loose but slowdown and yield to the twinkling beauty of the stars overhead. They fill his head until they are all he knows and for a time there is only the rhythmic sound of his breathing as Link soars among the pure light of night. There are times, during peaceful interludes such as this, that Link can almost grasp the memories of those seven years that were stolen from him. They come as faint whispers of images, feelings that are strong yet not quite there. It is a pain to have that life missing and he listens sadly when others can tell their stories from start to finish. "The answers are out there somewhere," he thinks, "somewhere beyond the call of adventure. Perhaps when this is all over I can find some respite."

The star-shine grows brighter until the ruins that shelter him come out in stark relief. Rafters and gaping holes in the ceiling cut up the sky. In the middle of the ruin an ancient tree thrusts its leafy canopy through crumbling mortar and rotting planks to stir lazily in the night`s breeze. It draws Link`s eye and he stares long at the massive trunk and slender branches; at the leafs that rustle together like the wings of a hundred birds jostling for space. It comes to him then that the tree was scarcely any shorter before he was born and would continue to suck in the sun`s rays long after he died. "How small life is", he thinks, "how little the span of living matters and my bones will be nothing but dust when this tree overhead falls." It is a fatalistic view, Link thinks, one hard to wholly dismiss as lonely dreams on a lonely night. And yet, matching these dark thoughts is a single, bright flame: his life, however short it may be, is so precious to him. He ponders these two opposing thoughts long and finally comes to a conclusion that perhaps he cares not too greatly whether he lives or dies yet is completely ready to seize every single chance to live.

Sleep comes easy after these settling thoughts, and only the sounds of the night crickets echo in the ruins.

* * *

Zelda sits under the same stars, leaning against the balcony of her dead father`s throne room. "This was to be mine," she thinks, "I was to inherit the crown, the throne and my people. Now a madman rules over the Kingdom of Hyrule and I cannot raise a hand against him."

But against all hope she tries again. With her hand outstretched to the dim horizon and the faintly visible triforce tattoo pulsing with her concentration, she tries to sort out the near future. In her mind she tries to untangle herself from the murky events of the past and the dread of the present to peer beyond. It is like standing on the highest mountain and trying to see into every vale, valley, dip and shallow shade-filled depression at once. The effort draws a grimace on her fair features. "There," and some small flash of an image comes to her.

But as it does the air around the entire castle shimmers as a crystalline shell suddenly coalesces into being. It hardens, distorting the view of the outside world and then Zelda can no longer touch the future. "Damn," she swears and lowers her head to the cool stone of the rail. The small insight she received is all she had and it is confusing beyond belief. Her vision was of Hyrule Castle on a rain-slicked night as lighting lit up the sky. But it was a castle no more, for only the grand doors and arched windows of the bottom floor were intact. Above them the jagged stone of the ramparts stuck up into the sky like the teeth from a rotting skull. With a sigh Zelda slumps to the floor and hugs her knees.

In a room below, a hundred silent women kneel with their heads bowed. In front of them is a raised dais of stone. They seem to wait, perhaps for eternity, perhaps for death- so still do they seem. But the leader, a hard faced woman at the front, shifts her head and the entire assembly lifts their heads in unison.

The air above the dais ripples as a portal appears, ripping through space. It is a horizontal oval of shimmering quicksilver and from it emerges Gannon, smiling in triumphant. The portal behind him winks out.

His smile is evil and his wild, flowing hair seems to burn and flicker like fire. But there is still the gleam of intelligence and near-sanity in his eyes. "Ca`en," he commands, flicking his eyes at the proud warrior at the front, "take 4,000 of your best and crush the resistance that gathers at Hyrule Lake."

Ca`en rises, hand to heart, and bows. Gannon speaks again, "they are strong, do not underestimate them. Here," and he hands her a small, dark globe. "Take this into their camp at night before you attack. It will help you." The woman salutes and all turn to depart save one. This is an older woman, not clothed in the leather and armor of Gannon`s warriors but wearing only a single, simple robe the color of the desert.

"Ahh, Sa`ri. I have need of you."

She bows and smiles, following him out of the room and up to where Zelda sits dejectedly under uncaring stars. As Gannon enters the room he waves a hand and stops the dagger that would have pierced his eyes. "Ahh princess, the fight is not entirely out of you. That is good. Please, though, you waste your energies in pathetic gestures." Another gesture from Gannon and Zelda finds herself flung into a chair, unable to rise.

The older woman, a scholar from before the days of Gannon the Tyrant, sits upon the carpeted floor and flips open a book, her pen poised over blank pages.

Gannon turns around the room, looking over everything before speaking to the princess. "My dear girl, I am going to speak to your hero now. Look and see how pathetic his very struggle is." He lifts his tattooed hand and holds it out in the air. He turns and turns until finally, with a satisfied grunt, he stops and makes several gestures in the air.

To Zelda`s eyes nothing happened. But after a while Gannon speaks, "What is in a name…"

* * *

When Link awakes in a rosy dawn Gannon is there leaning against the tree.

Link`s reaction is instantaneous; his sword comes out as he rises to a crouch and with that movement it leaves his fingers and flies towards the heart of Gannon. But Gannon merely smiles, that sneer that says everything you do is futile. The razor sharp tip of the sword plunges through his chest and quivers up and down in the tree trunk. Gannon shrugs and steps sideways to lean against the wall, the sword passing though him as easily as one moves through early morning fog that drifts in the mountains.

Gannon reaches up into the air between them and with a black gauntlet-clad finger draws a long, looping chain of figure-eights that remain glowing in the air.

"What is in a name, my boy?" wonders Gannon whimsically, pushing off the wall and walking close to Link. Link breaks away quickly, stumbling over rocks and knocking over his pack in a hurry to put his back against the wall. Again Gannon speaks as he leans down to examine the contents of the scattered backpack.

"Link. An odd name. Do you ever wonder to what definition you unconsciously inspire to? A small link in a chain of innumerable failures? Always destined to follow in the footsteps of your predecessors; and they, to a man, have been successful only in giving their lives for the price of carrying on this little triangle of force. And as a link in a chain, there will only be others to follow, all waving their banners of courage against unprincipled evil. Namely me."

A rock passes through Gannon`s head and he laughs, a deep, rolling chuckle that causes him to throw his head back to fill the room with his merriment. Link drops the other rocks and slides down to sit cross-legged on the sand.

Gannon looks out the crumbling window and resumes, "Or are you a link to the people, a hand stretching down to help up those that can`t save themselves alone? Are you that link, Link? A link to the past when people had a good King and the sun rose everyday over a peaceful kingdom? Would you be that hero, Link?" And in a cynical burst, he adds "would you save me?"

Gannon`s back is to Link and for a moment Link can only hear a single voice from a man all alone. Then he turns out of the shadows and the same sardonic sneer still paints his face below malevolent eyes.

"Could I save you!" A shout from Link and he rocks back, pulling something from his hip pocket. He holds up an object that glimmers in the sunlight.

"Do you remember Kakariko? Of course not, what was it to you? But I came upon it after your demonic legion had swarmed through. Do you know what it's like to see men and women, farmers and pheasants that lived only to sink their fingers into the soil and bring up green life, ordinary folk who want nothing of nations and wars; to see them up on the blades of a windmill slowly turning as birds circled about? Do you know what it's like to find a little girl still alive but with her life blood pouring out over the cracked clay of her own room? To want to save her so bad but all I can do is hold her as she dies and tell her everything is fine and listen to her whisper of new days and flowers to smell?"

His face grows as rigid as steel and his blue eyes blaze out like sapphires newly pulled from the pit of a burning sun. "I know the look of a girl denied the chance to live through a hundred happy memories; the sudden clutch of her hand and the drowning look in her eyes as life is snuffed out. No, I imagine you cannot understand how that feels."

There is a ghost of a shadow that runs across Gannon`s face but it is gone as quickly as it came and he speaks low and menacingly, "There is no pity in my heart any more for little girls or farmers who scratch in the dirt."

"That is why I will never try and save you," says Link and he casts the object at Gannon`s feet. It skids and turns, coming to rest in the square rectangle of light from the window. It is a small jewel, a heart outlined with pale, blue metal. A red liquid glows from within where faint floating sparkles catch the sunshine and cause it to seem magical. "A jewel to protect you, she said, from the monsters in the dark. Damn you Gannon! Monsters in the Dark! She should have had years and years ahead of her, years of things that little girls should all know. Not something with fangs and claws that leap out from nightmares."

"Ahh," says Gannon with a gleam in his eye, "some girls grow up faster than others."

"What do you want?" says Link coldly with steel in his eyes and the taste of smoke and fire on his tongue.

The man in black armor laughs again and strides around the room as if checking for secret things. His footsteps leave no trace and they make less sound than wind tumbling over sand. He comes to a stop and makes a dismissive gesture with his hand. "To talk, my dear boy, to talk of things that should be said between two people such as us. Things like the division of power, bargains, and a very feisty princess."

Link had his sword back in its scabbard and approaches Gannon with an outstretched hand, ready for anything. But when his hand passes cleanly through Gannon`s chest he relaxes and gathers his stuff. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because it seems there is a certain inevitability about the two of us, that we are destined to meet in the future no matter how hard I try to stop you or how much you yearn to shrug off your responsibility."

"I would shrug off nothing!"

"So you would say but I bet there is no who knows you better than your most hated enemy. And I know you Link, know the struggle of the hero."

"Again, why should I care, monster, destroyer of lives and ender of dreams?"

"Because I was once a hero to a few. And their hopes were shackles on my legs. Come, Link, I know you yearn for a certain freedom from this oppressive demand of so many selfish people to defeat one man. What if I were to draw back my armies from a corner of Hyrule and allow you and certain people to live there peacefully?"

Link looks up through hooded eyelids, "What if I spared your life, broke your army and whipped your back-side until all the people of the world laughed at you and you were driven into the deepest part of the desert never to return? Would you accept those conditions?"

Gannon snarls from the shadows, a lengthy curse full of guttural words. "What are you playing at boy? I have the power of a god and a whole host of creatures at my command. What do you have?"

Link`s voice is as steady and pure as a sword thrust into the rays of dawn, "I have the courage to get back up and try again."

"A fool by any other name. Well I guess Zelda said as much before she escaped."

"Escaped?" gasps Link, eyes wide.

"Yes, slipped out while I was attending to matters elsewhere. I guess Sheik training still counts for something."

Hope soars in Link`s heart and for a few moments he can hardly concentrate on this ghostly apparition, so distracted is he. He wants to escape and run off in search of her; do anything but sit here and debate with this, this thing! But there is a certain curiosity inherent in all that makes one question how someone can be so different from oneself. So Link turns his mind back to Gannon and a question.

"Why do you want power so much?"

A simple question and yet Gannon frowns deeply, turning away before answering him. "Power," and he looks down at the growing ball of flame in the palm of his hand. The light creates deep shadows in the creases of his face. "It's funny that when I hold enough power to strip a man of his mortal shell with but a thought or can lift a finger to command legions to tumble empires, I find that it is still not enough."

"Not enough for what? More murder, more mayhem, do you want to see the whole world burn?" The words are filled with nothing but hatred.

"Yes, I want to make the whole world suffer under the weight of my boot. I want to sit atop a throne of skulls and …."

"No!" shouts Link, "Why! Gannon, why did my father have to die? Why did the forests have to burn? Why, when I only wanted peace do I find myself thrust into the role of a hero?"

Gannon starts to laugh, chuckling contemptuously.

"No!" shouts Link again and raises his hand. The triforce tattoo glows fiercely and suddenly Gannon backs away as if burned. His face falls into a slant of sunlight and there is a strange, haunted expression on his face like the tattoo pulls on buried memories and the truth suddenly lies closer to the surface.

Gannon draws back from the light and speaks in a low voce as if talking to himself. "They say that with enough power you can escape even the clutches of death. With your death and the princess close to me I would have enough power to achieve immortality. But do I want that? No?" A questioning whisper. "No! I want to, I need to, I…."

And he continues "there was a woman once. Who did not know I was a king. Who did not know she would die because of me. Maybe, if I have enough power…. maybe if this world was different, if it could be reworked, changed and formed again. A time when my beautiful desert flower still lived. Then I would have enough. Enough to be…"

But he shakes his head and with a snarl leaps forward, "Boy! Do not play with me! Know only that your precious kingdom will never be yours and everything you do from this moment on is like a gnat battering against the doors of inevitability."

"A woman," thinks Link grimly, "of course! That book. Can it be that so much blood flows because of a broken heart? But that is madness. And yet beneath the anger and hate must be some part of him that once knew happiness. But is that reason enough to snuff out thousands of lives and alter the world itself? For a lost love?"

As much as he tries to tell himself it is not, a small memory of a woman standing under a cherry tree comes to him and he wonders if he too could keep from drowning in the pull of power.

Anger radiates from Gannon that he let slip something that even he had not thought on, and decides that this talk has come to an end. "Listen boy, you continue to surprise me. I certainly do hope you make it alive to meet me in the end. But if you do not," and he shrugs, "then the pity is on you."

He makes several gestures in the air and winks out with an inrush of air.

"Gannon. What pity I have should be with you," and Link gets up from sand. He picks his things up and tidies the small room. From outside there comes the sound of soft footsteps sliding in the sand. Link whirls to the sound and in the doorway appears the princess.

"Zelda!"

The princess smiles, looking regal even in torn and dirty clothes. She grips the doorway and sways as if she had run the entire way to reach this place.

"Princess! Are you alright?" He takes a step towards her and then another, his mood brightening until a smile stretches across his face. Still Zelda is silent and continues to lean on the stone of the doorway, holding open her arms for Link to embrace.

He takes another step and as he does the small heart pendant lying on the floor flashes a single ruby-red glow. He stops. It flashes again, stronger this time. He looks at Zelda and she smiles so sweetly at him. But he hesitates. With a quick motion he throws his bedroll up over the window and in the sudden darkness the princess`s hand, lying in the shadow of the room is transformed into a green thing of rotting meat. _Monsters in the dark_!

With a howl the thing lurches into the room, slowly shambling forward. Its gaze freezes Link. He struggles to move his arm, a leg, anything but he can only look at the dark pits of the creature`s eyes as it gets closer and closer. But there is a red flash and in that light Link can move and he whips his sword out. With the fury of hope dashed he unleashes a whirling ring of fire that throws the creature against the far wall and collapses the stone supports of the room.

In the strong sunlight of noon Link picks himself out of the rubble of the collapsed structure and growls in anger. "How could I sit there and talk to that monster!" But he can do nothing except clean himself up, bandage a few scrapes and find his pack. As he turns to walk away from the ruins a small sound draws his ear. It turns into a chuckle which grows into a cackling laugh that wraps itself around Link. It chases him as hurries away, fading only when the dust of his footsteps are distant clouds on the horizon.


	32. The Coming Storm

The two of them sit in the ruddy glare of the sunset, high on a ridge of red rock covered with the fragile stalks of dried grass. Around them are the ruins of an ancient stone temple; huge blocks lying here and there, and in front of them, framing the sinking sun, a free-standing stone archway. It once held up an elaborate roof, full of angles and ingenuities of the mind. It sheltered the relics of bygone gods, now beyond distance memories. In the present the pitted, gray arch of stone holds up only the expanse of the sky and shelters two good friends sharing their last night together.

It is one of those sunsets that die hard, grasping with every bit of its might to the edge of the sky as the night drags it down howling and screaming. Even now its arms flail in death throes. Great streaks of orange and red cut through the blue day`s end. The ribbons and tendrils of pale fire play over the heads of the two figures and they smile.

"So what's his name?" Link asks and Malon, smiling a bit, answers "Thorn. He`s prickly like his name. Headstrong and willing to fight. Like you. But he always comes back, and in the morning he's there by my side and I love him for that."

"Malon, I…."

She interrupts him, "No. You are who you are. And you are not mine anymore, I know that."

In the silence that is not awkward but merely the quiet between two people who take comfort in each other`s presence Malon slips a hand into his. Her hand is rough and calloused as his and they fit together nicely.

The sun finally loses its grip and drops down that long precipice of night and in the dark Link turns to her, saying "They`ll come soon, won`t they?"

"Yes" she whispers, "tonight or in the dawn of morning. Either way it will be a hard fight. What of your part?"

His part, his duty, his revenge and his destiny. He turns his head away and into the night he whispers "Yes. Gannon awaits me. I have word from the sages that they stand ready to help."

As if that`s her cue Malon stands up. "I must go to my army and prepare. I hope you succeed. Because if you don`t a victory will mean nothing for us." Harsh words but they are the truth, Link stands, they hug in farewell and as the dark form of Malon descends down the ridge Link cannot keep a certain memory from resurfacing. Had they ever been so young that night on the farm?

The wind picks up as the stars come out and soon haunting sounds come from the ruins, from jagged holes and cracks in the stone. It reminds Link of the Ocarina which he has not played in a lifetime. He takes it out, and in the high wind it plays a melody of wild nature. "One last time," he thinks and setting the blue shell to his lips he plays Zelda`s Melody.

At first the tunes are lost in the wind but soon they grow louder and louder until they drown out everything. Link stops playing, astonished as the notes keep echoing in the air. All of a sudden all consuming darkness falls around him and there in front of him, beautifully regal, is his princess.

He goes to his knees and cries "Zelda!"

She looks sadly melancholy and worn out, but her eyes still blaze with inner light. "Link, Gannon`s shell is weak, your melody reaches through his sorcery. Now is the time to attack!"

Link stands eagerly. "But how? The castle is a day away and I don`t have Epona anymore. What can I do?"

Zelda glances behind her, and then says to Link, "You will find the means tonight, this I know. Watch for the flash. That is all I can say. Please hurry!" And the melody fades, replaced by stars and a lonely ridge where Link stands alone.

"A flash" he wonders.

Mists had filled the lake valley below and Link can barely make out the pin-pricks of light that are the scattered camp fires of Malon`s army. It is silent over the sea of fog and Link can make out distant mountain tops sticking above the white clouds, looking like small islands on this moonlit night.

Indeed, the moon is out full, like it shines gloatingly over the hard death of the sun. The tips of the dried grass shine with its white glow. Then Link`s answer arrives.

Down in the depths of the fog, near where the shores of Lake Hyrule lap back and forth, a small black orb suddenly blinks with an orange light. Then it flashes, so bright that to Link, standing on the ridge, the entire sea of fog appears to briefly blaze like the birth of a sun. Then it is gone and all is silent. A few shouts of alarm rise up to Link`s ears. Then there is a scream, an ear-splitting cry of fury. It drives a pang of dread into Link`s heart, for he once heard something like it before, in a mountain full of fire.

The scream comes again and this time a roaring tongue of flame melts through the fog to come rolling up into the night sky. Link takes a step back.

And then it comes, soaring straight up out of the fog, a screaming, inhumanely large dragon. Its body is jet black and only the ridges of its head, tail and talons gleam gold. Thus it seems to be tinged with golden fire as it reaches far over the valley and briefly hangs it huge wings in front of the moon. Standing in the sudden shadow, Link swears under his breath, "Gannon."

It screams again as its wings flap with a thundering boom. The scream leaves fear in its wake and Link knows the soldiers below must be scared out of their wits.

This then was Gannon`s plan. A dragon on one side and the steely-eyed desert Gerudo, 4,000 strong, on the other. "They don`t stand a chance," thinks Link as the dragon tucks its wings and dives down into the fog, laying a great gout of fire over the shores of the lake.

What can one man do against such a beast? What could any man do against impossible odds and powerful enemies? The only thing a man can do, a thing that makes him a hero, not to the people but always first to himself. He must have the courage to try.

So Link steps forward on the thin, high ridge and thrusts his bare fist up high. "Dragon!" he yells, straining his voice to ring over the valley.

And to the dragon soaring so high in the sky, far off on a ridge in the night a small golden glow grows to great brilliance. It stings the dragon`s eyes and calls to it like a cry of challenge.

Link sees the dragon turn, feels the triforce burn on his hand and feels solid ground under his feet. With his free hand he draws his sword and in the shadowed-light of his upthrust hand and the boiling fire erupting from the coming dragon`s maw he bears his teeth in a wild grin.

* * *

A storm brews over the land of Hyrule. In the Lake valley clouds tower over clashing armies; great rents pour drop upon fat drop down from a gray sky to slide along polished steel and mix with thick blood. The sky rumbles with coming thunder and already gloomy air darkens with the flight of hundreds of arrows. Enemies alike lay chest deep in the churned mud, their dead eyes open to the heroes' charge and the cowards retreat. The battle builds like the storm; the pressure from surprise flanks and treacherous betrayals whirl the ever-increasing madness of war to near heights of insanity.

Mid-day, the first booming lightning bolt sets the forest south of the Lake on fire. The smoke rolls over the battlefield, making each struggle between two foes an intimate affair. Toward midnight one-side breaches the banks of the Lake with explosives and hundreds are swept away in the flood. The survivors fight knee-deep in a swamp of mud and blood.

Zora gasp pitifully with their gills as Gannon`s monstrosities weigh them down under the muck. Goron die surrounded by dozens of Gerudo, their natural armor no match for the ingenuity of desert warriors. Elves are cut down by fast-flying arrows and plummet out of trees to die ingloriously by young children who dart forward with sharp knives. But all is not lost and the exacting toll of war is given as equally as it is received.

Under the cry of seven years of tyrannical oppression Malon and her soldiers push back. They may not have the long tradition of warfare but they have something better: a cause. They don`t fight for a leader but for a simple principle that makes hearts pump even in the face of death. They fight for the right to live in peace; freedom from power`s forceful hand. They also have no choice. If they do not fight then nothing changes except the date of inevitable demise. That is all and so they push back, for if they fall then there is no one left.

So Malon, with her foot on a stack of dead Gerudo and blood down her arm, looks up at the darkening sky and whispers a prayer to Link. The sky flashes, she looks back down at her friends equally bloodied, equally committed and yells in a voice louder than thunder, "For Hyrule!"

They charge through foul mud and over fallen bodies, towards a bristling wall of red-haired enemies. The flashing tips of their swords look like a field of stars and Malon, in a moment of grace as she falls towards that twinkling mass, feels like a spirit returning home.

* * *

Sa`ri, the tyrant`s trusted chronicler, sits on the floor besides a crackling fire and watches her silent leader look out into the night. Gannon has stood at the balcony of his throne room since the sunset faded in the sky, still and unmoving; his form outlined by a field of stars.

"He`s waiting," she thinks, "waiting for word of his victory, waiting for power, waiting for that hero, waiting for…" and with the sigh of a mother for her lost child she admits "for someone who will never come."

Quietly she stretches her limbs and wishes again for the lands of her youth. She can see them when she closes her eyes. The rippling dunes of sand that forever change their etchings with the currents of wind. The innocent smiles of her people as they used to greet the rising sun on the cool mornings of dawn. She misses most of all the empty, wide horizons that left the mind clear and clean. Here she feels hemmed in by the mountains and buildings and trees that break that distant line. It always reminds her how bound she is to her king that she would forsake the things that bring her the most joy.

"Soon I will be back in those lands. Things here are coming to an end, I can feel it. One way or another I will be free; may it be my body or spirit, one will travel to the deserts of my birth and I will be free."

Gannon stares over his kingdom, over the ruins of a town and the scarred hills beyond. He has spent most of the night brooding, his thoughts circling around the conversation with Link. It has deeply unnerved him that Link should pull something from his own mind that even he had not thought on.

"Is it madness?" Gannon thinks, "No, revenge is all I wanted. All! To see blood and tears soaking the ground, that is all. I am not wrong, never! With the power I hold I am the truth and the very definition of sanity. Have not I conquered these kingdoms and made whole nations bow before my armies? Was not I able to pass through the test of the Triforce and seize it through the force of my will? I cannot be wrong!"

"And yet….." There is doubt in his mind for the first time. Gannon struggles against the small niggling thread of a thought, trying to bury it with all the injustices he can imagine. But in the space of a moment there keeps appearing in his memories the face of a young woman coated in the rays of a new sun. She turns and smiles, so lovingly, so innocently, and in this moment of weakness Gannon thinks, "what would she think of me now?"

…..

There are some truths that are so powerful that one can only hide them by burying them so deep that they cease even to exist in memory. It is a truth that is neither black nor white nor any color on the spectrum of things. It is a truth beyond the definition of things, beyond the chance coating that life receives through words and reason. This is TRUTH in bold and if ever realized will burn through the synapses and wirings of the brain with the speed and heat of the hottest fire.

…..

And so Gannon found that even with all the power in the world he could not hide from himself.

He finally moves on the balcony, his knuckles turning white on the railing as he fights these new thoughts. He grits his teeth and yells, "Sa`ri, leave me now!" He hears his old scholar shut the door behind her and he heaves a hand out and lets loose a blast of fire into the night air.

The mists of early evening had come down, leaving Hyrule town and the plains beyond cloaked in a wall of white fog. Through it Gannon can just make out a dull red glare to the East. He cracks his hand on the stone rail again and swears. He turns around and starts for the door, intent on going below to check the outcome of his war. But there is a sound like a distant scream and he turns back. It comes again, a faint scream echoing though the fog. He goes to the railing and lifts an ear to the air. Under the quiet of a moonlit night, when not even a bird stirs among the broken rooftops of the town below, a third scream rips across the space. Now Gannon can hear slow, rhythmic thumps and then a fourth scream that shakes the windows and bounces off the distant mountains.

"No!" Gannon shouts and throws up a hand. The crystal shell around the castle solidifies.

Through the fog comes a gigantic head. It has vicious white spikes and a grim, reptilian mouth that opens in a scream. Its body follows and then massive wings that beat the air with a long tail that lashes the fog into tatters. It screams long and terrible and Gannon covers his ears. "No!" he shouts again as the creature descends from the heavens.

Coming into view behind the head is small figure in green riding on its back. One hand is held high and from it emits a golden radiance that shines like a second sun. The dragon dives down and down at the castle, streaking a long ribbon of light from its back.

Gannon smiles coldly from his perch as the dragon draws closer and closer. But then for a third time he whispers, "No."

For now four blue lights hang in the sky around the castle and they flare brilliantly bright as the dragon flies directly for Gannon. The crystal shell begins to crack, thin lines forming on its surface. The dragon`s head breaks through the shell, sending the rest of the structure crumbling to the ground The huge dragon collides with the outer wall of the throne room, sending bricks and glass scattering into the room. The rider jumps off to land in a crouch amidst masonry and dust. The dragon screeches one last time and gives a mighty leap into the sky, disappearing back into the fog.

The figure rises from a crouch and the pure, cold sound of a drawn sword rings around the room. Gannon meets the eye of the other and says, "So you have come."

"I have," says Link coldly. "This ends here."

"I agree. But not here." And Gannon throws hand up a bright flare flashes into Link`s eyes. When he can see again Gannon is gone.

"Gannonnnn!" he yells loud and full of rage. Cold wind and the tendrils of fog seep into the room through the gaping hole and far off, through the clouds, the sound of thunder builds.


	33. A Clash of Swords

Hyrule Castle stands like a carved rock pillar before the coming wave of storms. Rain pounds blue tiles and gray blocks, washes down hard on stained glass windows and pours in long, fluted stems of cascading waterfalls down the heads of bowed gargoyles. Blustery drops blow into the jagged hole high up near the eaves. From outside, the gaping mouth of masonry is the only sign of trouble, for the rest of the castle sits like a contented king whose eyes look peacefully out at a troubled world.

But like how the outside of a beehive betrays no hint of the bustle within, things are very much astir inside.

* * *

Through the hole in the wall is Link, motionless, and through his eyes the world waits. For this is the moment and this is his revenge. He doesn`t think about it, yet, but it will come. The rage and pure malice of years built upon years of Gannon`s rule, it makes Link want to explode with impatience. Instead he steps through the far door into a hallway. The candles in alcoves hardly flicker as each of the twenty women before him draw their swords in unison and keep blue eyes riveted on his face. They are the very definition of stillness. The personal guard to Gannon, devout, loyal and wedded to the sword, all extremely balanced with no weakness in their posture.

Words seem useless to Link and so instead he takes a deep breath and finds the center within himself. The tip of his sword rests lightly on the red carpet and he waits.

One of the women rushes forward, sword slashing horizontal. Link lets it slide against his upheld blade and away before pivoting his own into her stomach. Another Gerudo starts forward but Links momentum has already carried him across the space and his sword point slides neatly into her throat. It is his dance now and he controls the pace, pressing here, withdrawing there until the dusk-skinned women seem no more than an extension of his hand. He falls effortlessly into this dance of steel partly because it is a state of being where there are no troubling thoughts of being a hero or the responsibilities that sit heavy on his shoulders. In this dance there is only the singular idea of the cut and all movement, all energy is devoted to placing his sword in the exact position to achieve that.

Soon the last sword drops from the lifeless hand of the Gerudo and Link heaves and gasps, coming back to himself. His eyes focus on the far door and he darts like an arrow through it. Inside is Gannon, waiting on a raised stone dais, arms crossed and infinitely smug.

"Gannnonnnn! Stay and fight you monster!" yells Link, flinging a dagger at the figure. Gannon scowls, flings a hand at the pitiful weapon and opens a portal in the air behind him. He flees through it, leaving Link little choice but to chase after him.

A harsh desert wind assails Link as he stumbles down to hot sand. The portal winks out behind him and he rises up with sword ready, but there is only tan sand and blue sky separated by the bleak line of the horizon. He spins around and directly in front of him is a huge triangle of stone with a doorway of darkness at its base. He runs into it. Inside there are dank steps leading downwards and so he descends, yelling Gannon`s name. He reaches flat ground in impenetrable black and spins around, trying to hear any sound. Gannon`s chuckle echoes suddenly all around him, "Led to the slaughter, boy. Here the Gods care not for your courage." Then all sound dies.

In that dark, deep hole there is no fear for Link, only a real sense of failure, of a thousand faces crying in shame. In the darkness he lets his sword point hit the stone with a dejected thunk.

It seems Gods, even dead ones, have a long reach. For suddenly Link feels as if seized by some giant hand, its flesh smelling like some ancient corpse that has sat grinning in dark crypts for a millennia. Soon Link sees bursting lights of color as he struggles to barely draw breath. Zelda`s face appears in his mind as his strength starts to fail and it gives him courage to try one last trick. He concentrates and unleashes the fire of the faeries, usually spent through his sword but instead flying out from his body in a concussive force.

Ancient torches catch fire and in the orange glow Link sees the true form of a dead god. A single, large rotting hand dances at the edge of the fire light, fingers tapping against the soggy earth in rhythm to some tuneless song of the dead. Then all the dirty fingers jerk up and it flies again at Link. In that moment he catches sight of a single red eye in the center of the dead hand and quicker than thought has his sword point up and jabs it straight through the jelly mass. The screech is horrible and it drops to the ground, flopping and shaking. The dead god dies for the last time, its flesh dissolving into the earth.

Link pants and glances around his small circle of light. It seems some trick of the light but the earthen walls at the very fringe of light seem to stretch unbroken all around, no entrance, no exit. He goes to where the stairway was and pounds the moist walls. Dirt crumbles away to reveal grinning skulls, gazing sightlessly at him. In that small cell of squeezing graves a thought comes to Link that perhaps there are worse things than death, and a slow descent into madness is more frightening than any horrific creature.

From nowhere a gust of wind comes up and all the torches go out. In the very blackness a shining, golden portal slices open. Link stares dumbly though it, for through the portal shining like a bright gem is a gorgeous blue sky and a hauntingly desirable sight. He steps through and his foot falls upon the soft earth of a freshly manicured lawn; and the memory of lost love suddenly assaults his heart. For in the middle of the grass is a mirror-still pond broken only by the ripples of little pink petals that drift down from a spreading cherry tree. Link steps around the pond and there, leaning against the balcony with her hair cascading down her back is Saria. She turns and gives him a smile like the first time they met and heartbreak nearly drives Link to his knees.

"But you`re dead, Saria! How can …?"

"Sssh, dear Link, don`t tell me how it ends, leave me at least the dignity of an uncertain future." She strides across with a dancer`s grace and lays a hand shyly on his shoulder. "But you,….you are only passing through. This is the one favor I have owed to me from this place. Please leave it and go. What you do is far more important than me."

Behind Link the pond ripples with color and suddenly he is looking down at the room he just left, in Hyrule Castle. But he turns back and casts a hand out to cup Saria`s cheek. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to stay here. But I must…." And he lowers his head and looks at the petals gathering at his feet.

Saria lays a finger on his lips "I know, I know, but be brave for me. Whatever happened must happen again or you will not be who you must be. Please go, Link."

Reluctantly he turns away, but not before running his fingers along her cheek and savoring one last glance deep into her eyes. He jumps into the pond and as the waters close over him he hears a very familiar voice, "Did I hear someone out here, my love?" There is a hint of sadness almost covered up by the feigned cheerfulness in her response, "no one, my love, I was just entertaining myself."

But then he is sucked down, whirled together with swirling pink petals, deep and fast until his feet touch hard stone. The room is empty and Link shakes himself, water drops flinging from his hair. After taking a deep breath he goes to the door and once again hunts the halls of Hyrule for Gannon.

With lightning finally booming even through the stone walls Link climbs up and up a winding, red-carpeted staircase. At every step he feels the agony of uncertainty. "Is Gannon still here? Is Zelda still alive?" He howls Gannon`s name and it bounces off the cold stone, fading away into the empty spaces of the castle`s foundation.

Link arrives at the last step and finds himself suddenly blinded by the bright light of a dozen, roaring torches. They gleam in stately unison along a long and beautifully elegant hallway. Thin fluted pillars stand rooted in the carpet and run the entire length so that it looks like a forest of smooth, white trunks and one can imagine that the next floor must be filled with their spreading crowns.

Link sheathes his sword and moves between the pillars to reach the far door at the end. It is heavy, thick and guarded by two huge knights in armor. Or merely statues as Link realizes after looking into their empty helmets. He approaches slowly, half-expecting some devious trick. He puts his hand to the door but it budges not an inch. So he rushes it with his shoulder. There is a great boom but it still remains solid. He steps back to try again but manages to catch his foot on the edge of the carpet and falls down. As he does so there is a whistling sound and he feels the air disturbed above his head. A huge, double-headed axe hits the door and bites into the wood.

Link yells with surprise and looks up at the statue of armor. Its two, large hands grasp the handle of the axe and, as he watches, the empty helm slowly creaks in his direction. Then, in unison, the two former statues take a single step, their footfalls shaking the entire floor. Link can see himself in their armor, see a small figure scurry backwards as the knights bring their large axes up above their heads.

* * *

A single tear rolls down her cheek as her heart fills to bursting with a melancholy longing for the past. Zelda hugs her knees as the winds of a golden summer blow playfully over an endless ocean of green grass and undulating hills that roll on forever. It makes her feel young though not like a child. Young, like she had not yet learned of the cruelty and despair that can slip into the world. Young, childish even in how badly she wants to be among those green waves under a blue sky and nowhere where the fight for justice in constant and always poised to send her shattering down into an abyss of defeat.

Over her shoulders is a view of a golden sunset sinking behind snow-clad mountains. A ribbon of silver runs from the flanks towards her across a broad plateau and when the sun strikes it the runoff turns into molten fire. So she sits on this pedestal of stone, weeping a single tear as the paintings all around her show her how far she is from her heart`s desire.

It is an observatory of stone, an oval room with four large paintings stretching the entire length of the walls. There are balconies that run under the paintings and a single pedestal for observing that juts up in the center. This is where Zelda waits; for one man or the other, for either must find her eventually. So she leans on borrowed time and gazes at the magic paintings. In one a solitary tree has sprouted in the plains and under it is a small figure leaning against the trunk. She gazes harder at the distant figure who might be wearing green and says to herself, "Could that be….."

But she is cutoff as the double-doors to the room boom and shake in their holdings. "He`s coming."

* * *

The doors burst inward and a huge axe skids across the stone floor. The great mass of the armed warrior falls to the floor, its body going to pieces and the helmet scattering noisily to hit the pedestal under Zelda`s feet. "Hello Link," she says with the tiniest of smiles struggling to be big.

"Hello my princess," smiles Link, stepping into the room and going to one knee. But Zelda is off the pedestal and across the room in a blink, standing over him. "Rise Link," she says simply and he does and they hug. Or Zelda hugs Link for he still holds sword and shield and she can feel the muscles in his back shake with tension. "Thank you for being here first," she whispers, her cheek brushing the strands of his golden hair. His shoulders relax and he lets out a deep breath.

They back away from each other and Zelda finds his eyes and they are intense. She looks away. In their minds is the plain fact that this is the first time they have ever touched and it is so sad that they have no time to acknowledge it. Link spares a glance for the room and when his jaw drops Zelda asks, "What do you see?" "I-I" stutters Link, "The trees of Kokiri forest; they bend in a wind I do not feel. And over there! My home in the trees! There is a light in the windows, a candle, and….my father?" And Link reaches out with his sword, pointing, reaching, cutting; the emotions suddenly plain on his face. "It's just a painting Link, a spell that shows what you desire."

Link grimaces and turns away. "My desires huh? Then why don`t I see Gannon dead under my sword? All I see is silent forests, me walking through glades and there`s somebody who…." And he grows red and stops what he was about to say. "Painful and peaceful scenes, nothing more."

But there is no more time for the two as in between their words a cackling laugh begins and grows into a maniacal yell. The sound fills the room and the two occupants whirl about, looking for its source. Then suddenly Link sees a small figure on a horse riding along crumbling cliffs in one of the paintings. Storms beat against the land and the waves below froth with white caps. The horse and rider grow closer, the sound of the hooves beating the earth echoing into the room. Closer; a black horse, armored and mean, red eyes glaring and teeth open as it gallops madly. Closer; orange hair of fire flowing behind the rider, black armor-angular and hard, eyes spitting vengeance and fury, teeth clenched. Then, with a gauntleted hand raised, pointing a single finger at Link, Gannon gallops out of the painting.

His horse hits the stone balcony and smashes through the wooden railing, dropping to the floor. The black charger rears up majestically, its front two hooves pawing the air. Gannon grins as only one given up into madness can and calls "You, boy!" He charges on horse and Link drops down to cut at the horses legs. His sword passes through as if it were a ghost. The beast disappears with a puff and Gannon lands behind Link, pivoting and thrusting a palm at Link`s back. A brief flash of flame and Link flies at the far wall, hitting it hard with his shield.

With his other hand Gannon freezes a rushing Zelda, a piece of the railing clutched in her hand.

"So boy, it comes to this in the room of desires. All those years of planning and running about and now you`ll be nothing more than another dead body under my heel. And with you dead and the second part of the triforce mine, why there`s no end to how far I can reach." All this uttered as he strides back and forth like a male lion, proud of his genius.

Link struggles off the wall and perches on the stone ledge, "Gannon, you can never bring her back. She will only be what you remember, not alive, not who you loved! Give it up, surrender and your death will not be on this day."

"Ah, you think you know me boy? You think to reason me out with logic and sensible words? With appeals to my heart? No. I will never trust a man from Hyrule. What do you know of the deserts and its struggles? Nothing? But that is all dust trailing through my fingers; dust and bones."

"Listen, Gannon, you cannot go on forever killing and conquering by force. Please!"

"Not forever, boy. Only until I alone am left and the world can begin anew."

With a snarl Gannon clenches his fist and the triforce glows through his armor. He suddenly rises into the air and, making a gesture at the stone wall, throws his hand at Link. Chunk after chunk flies at Link as he rolls and dodges as fast as he can to avoid the large projectiles. With his other hand Gannon flings fiery bolts at Link`s head. Link raises his shield and they bounce off to fly across the room.

By now there are large gaps in the ceiling and walls. Rain begins to fall into the room and when fireballs aren`t flying, lightning flashes illuminate the dueling men.

Link manages to deflect a bolt of fire back at Gannon, stunning him. In that second he places a foot on a piece of broken railing and leaps into the air. His sword comes down from high just as Gannon raises a hand summoning a shield around himself. The force of the blow drives both men down to the floor.

As they rise Gannon claps his hands together and when they come apart a flaming sword appears. By now the candles of the room have all been knocked out and the flaming sword draws flickering shadows on the patched stone walls. Their swords clash; dripping globs of flame burning into Link`s forearms and sparks from his sword singing Gannon`s hair. So they fight, sword to sword, grim hate slicing down on heroic courage.

Before Gannon had lost himself to power`s attraction he had been a Gerudo sword-fighter. That meant he had spent most of his life learning to judge how and when to move. He had never lost a fight. But Link had something more. It wasn`t something innate or inborn but a simple dedication to perfecting the cut. Everything came from that. He saw the sword as having the possibility of being beautiful. And that made all the difference in the world.

Gannon fights like he conquered, making all the exact moves- planned and precise. He hacks and stabs with precision and has the footwork of a dancer. And yet he begins to realize he will lose. For Link can see the connections between moves and read the planned cuts as if Gannon were announcing them. Cut after cut, parry and near-miss, and the web draws tighter. The sword of fire flashes every time it hits Link`s sword and the room blinks in orange glare. And on Link`s face? Only grim determination.

Then there is a grunt of pain and Gannon`s sword clangs to the floor. In its light Link is fully extended-the tip of his sword through Gannon`s shoulder. He draws it back out and prepares for the killing stroke. But perhaps his greatest weakness and greatest strength is that he refuses to see Gannon as beyond redemption. So he finds that he cannot see the pure evil in the man before him.

"Do you yield, Gannon?"

But he can see in the man`s eyes only malice and hate then and all his words like bright stars falling into a black hole, utterly lost to meaning. "Very well" utters Link. But in his compassionate hesitation Gannon has a chance to act and as Link`s blade starts to fall he stretches a hand out towards the still frozen princess and lets loose a white hot ball of fire. Link screams and lightning flashes.

And the world is still. The fireball hangs in the air, fingers of flames licking out in near spirals. Gannon`s face is frozen in petty triumphant, Link`s sword inches from his neck. A single jagged bolt of cleansing lightning has lanced in from the hole in the roof and lies poised to strike the pedestal of stone. Link sees it all in a single breath and in the next moves to stand in the path of the fireball. He sighs and reaches out to stroke Zelda`s cheek once and closes his eyes. And in the moment before the world explodes again he thinks about Zelda and how he will never see her smile nor know the joy of a single kiss.

* * *

For the first time since he took the crown Gannon wakes in pain. But he is alive and he chuckles. "Fool boy" he laughs and sits up. But there, at his feet are Link and Zelda, looking grim.

"No," says Link and holds up his hand. The triforce glows and Gannon feels something streak painfully through his head. "Ah boy, what do you play at?" He gathers power to destroy the two, but Link speaks again. "No," and puts a palm to Gannon`s head. Link`s tattoo flares brighter and Gannon arcs back onto the ground, a painful yell escaping. When the yell subsides, Gannon opens his eyes and Link`s are there, inches above his. They are the pure color of sky and only marred by lines radiating from their corners.

"It takes courage to see the truth," whispers Link, "courage to face your own actions and take responsibility for them. Courage!" He yells into Gannon`s face and the triforce glows even brighter. "Look at the painting and tell me what you see!"

"No!" yells Gannon and struggles up. But Link grasps his head and turns him towards the only painting still hanging on the wall. "Tell me what you see!"

At first there is nothing, only the refusal to see. His fear overwhelms him. But Link is there, forcing him to have the courage to face it. And then it comes.

* * *

The pale sky is almost purple in the morning and its soft light falls onto her face as she smiles in happiness, smiling for him and him only. Over her shoulders is a blue sea washing up on to a pebbly beach. "Listen," she says and sweeps away black, silken hair to hear. Waves slide up and back and in their wake pebbles shift in their thousands, whispering in a cascade of tumbling stones.

Farther down the beach rows of waiting boats are perched on the edge of the surf and she points to them.

"We were going to journey together," she says sadly, "weren`t we? Something happened though," and she looks confused. "I died, didn`t I? Oh. I wish you could`ve seen my home. You would have loved the mountains. Where are you now? Oh." She looks in the distance, face widening in horror. "You did those things? For me? No, never for me, right?" Voice pleading. "Didn`t we share our hearts? Didn`t you find stillness?" She looks down and plucks a flower from the dune. It blows away in her hand. She stands and looks at the boats, face pensive. She turns back and smiles, full of sad joy.

"Those things are not you. Think about the dawns when we sat together. I`ll be waiting for you there, just over the horizon, second star to the left." Then she turns and goes down the dunes, towards the waiting boats.

* * *

Link stands above Gannon and the pain of the burning tattoo fades. Gannon continues to stare at the painting, face in utter despair. "The truth," Link tells Zelda, "can be a terrible thing if you`ve built your life on deceit. I have only pity for Gannon, for he now has to deal with a conscious and it must weigh heavily on him."

"What did he see?" asks Zelda, slightly pained.

"I think in the end what he must have desired was the strength to face what he most feared, what he had become. I don`t know what will come of this though."

And Zelda, in the flickering lightning, hesitantly ventures "then we`ve won?"

"Yes, I believe so," says a tired Link, his face covered with blood and dust and his eyes near to shutting.

But suddenly there is an iron grip on Link`s wrist and when he looks down Gannon is reaching out, eyes wide.

"Run," gasps Gannon, "Run!" and he shoves Link away. The two of them back up. The triforce on Gannon`s hand suddenly flares to life. He starts to sob and the fringes of his body begin to glow a dull red. Crying he yells "Run!" His eyes blaze a ruby red and orange hair ripples with real flames. His crying grows louder and turns into a maddening, howling sob. Link and Zelda look at each other and run to the door.

They make it to the long hallway when the stones start to vibrate and they can feel a very real backwash of power in the air. They vault steps and crash through doors, seeking the ground floor of the castle. They reach the entrance and dash across the drawbridge when the yelling starts. It stars low as if coming from underground and grows, filling the very air with an anguished, soul-lost roar. It drowns out the clashing thunder and seems to fill the brain with anger. Zelda and Link skid to a stop, rain dripping down their faces and look back at the castle. The yelling suddenly ceases and as a bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky to touch the highest spire, the top of the castle explodes. And with Link and Zelda drenched and shivering in the storm, hands clasped in support, the giant head of a mad god rises slowly into view from the bones of the jagged castle.


	34. A Leap of Courage

"You see, it is like spending one`s life walking up a trail for so long but in the end only to find it merely a deer`s path and the ending nothing more than closed brush. There is simply no way to return. So now Gannon destroys himself rather than face what he has become. And I fear that in this madness he has lost control of his power and may very well take us all with him when he falls. Ahh, I see it on your little faces, my dear ones. Hope? Yes it is there and its name is Link."

The Queen, in a very mortal gesture, shivers with the building tension. She reaches down with a finger and stirs the pond, sending ripples outward. "Now we watch and wait, and hope that his courage is enough." The waters clear and all the gathered fairies peer down with anxious faces at the storm that nears its climax.

* * *

With their clothes and hair soaked to the skin, Link and Zelda stare in disbelief as the monstrosity that has become Gannon rises out of the ruins of Hyrule Castle. Its great golden face rises out of the jagged stone; Gannon`s face but completely metal and immobile, emotionless as a statue. Its body and legs follow as it steps out and falls to the ground with a tremor. The hero and princess, knee-deep in prairie grass, stagger and fall. It rises, a metal god, all armored angles and gleaming gold, standing taller than the highest ragged windows of the castle. In its hand is a sword three stories tall and it brings it around in a groaning, metal-on-metal screech. Its mouth creaks open mechanically and a sound like the horn of a god bellows forth. Then, with lightning clashing and alighting on its shoulders, it takes its first earth-shattering step forward.

In the prairie near the town Link takes Zelda`s hand and shouts over the storm, "You have to go! This is my fight!" Zelda can`t believe him, "No Link! We have to run, find help. Maybe we`ll find some way…"

Link shakes his head. "Do I have a choice? Its now or never. I knew it would come to this when I looked into Gannon`s eyes." The very spark that is and was Gannon fading down into the deep, dark well of his soul. "Go!" he shouts. Zelda looks scared. She lets go of his hand, turns to run away. Link grabs her hand again, pulls her close quick and gives her a kiss. She stands stunned for a moment and then the giant`s footsteps boom again and she sprints away towards town.

"Ahh, it was worth it," grins Link. "Even if I fall it was worth it." A shake of his head and then he turns towards Gannon. He is calm and ready, balanced on his toes and his sword light in his hand. He looks down and rubs the tattoo on his hand, thinking not of any specific memory but the color of his life- impressions and experiences rolled into a brief flash of recollection. Then his mind empties as the ground shakes.

The tip of Gannon`s sword comes whistling down and Link darts backward as the it plows up a great trench in the earth. The idea comes as simple as breathing and Link darts up the embedded sword, fleet feet traveling up sword and arm before Gannon can lift the weapon back up. The shoulder is as broad as a room but Link struggles to keep his balance on the smooth metal. The giant turns, thrashing about in an attempt to throw off the small hero. Link lays about with his sword, seeking a soft spot, a weakness. Then he sees it, the triforce symbol set in the back of the giant`s neck, infinitely small. Link yells and jumps towards the symbol.

But at that moment the great creature rotates its large head towards Link. The eyes, large portals of shining white, suddenly erupt with a shaft of energy. It hits Link in the chest and sends him flying off into the air. He falls limp and fast towards the field of rubble that was the castle`s walls.

From the tallest building in the town Zelda shrieks in horror.

But as he falls small pin-pricks of light appear around his body. There is a humming in the air, a light melody of harmonics. Small wings of the faeries beat furiously and Link`s body begins to slow., coming to rest gently on torn earth. One ball of orange lands on his nose. There is a pinch and Link`s eyes shoot open. The faeries are already floating away, mere dancing motes in the rain and wind. He stands, giving a glance for the ruined castle and a glance for Gannon. Then with a nod of determination he heads to the castle and starts climbing.

Across the green lawn the giant has its head lifted to the sky and mouth open wide. The moaning horn of its voice drowns out the thunder. A red glow is building from its mouth as if a terrible power is being gathered. Above, the gray and black clouds of the storm begin to circle overhead and spin, drawn to this ominous display of god-like ambition. The clouds funnel downwards and lighting sparks into its open mouth. Perched on the roof of a crumbed building Zelda can only stare in horror as the hairs on her arm rise and small pebbles and stones vibrate on their own. She looks out into the dark night, at the golden god highlighted in glowing red and thinks, "this is it. This is how the world ends."

But the loud droning sound suddenly ceases and the mouth closes with a snap. The sudden silence is loud in Zelda`s ears and she gasps with surprise. The towering figure turns its head to look towards the castle.

There, shining from the battlements of the castle is a star of bright light. It stabs into the eyes like the rays of the sun and almost seems to drive the dark of the night away by certain degrees. Gannon lifts its heavy sword and with step after ponderous step, approaches the castle.

There stands Link on a single column of teetering stone supported by crumbling pillars, knuckles white as he grips the rough rock and hand blazing like a beacon in the night. The words come to him then as a prayer; words to a future that might not be but just as well must be, a future that every fiber of his being wills to happen. The words are gritted out through clenched teeth and throb to the beat of his pulsing heart.

"We will rebuild. It will be more beautiful than it has ever been before. We will stand together in the town of Hyrule and gaze up at a new castle and we will feel the pride and glory of knowing what it took to raise those walls. I can see it, Zelda, I can see it! Your royal pennants flying in a morning of dawn, sun coming in through glass windows and their beams catching the luster of freshly laid timber. I can see the people, so proud, come out of their shadows and feel the light air of the dawn on their faces. I see them smiling as the crown of our nation is laid upon your brow and the cheer that raises up from hundreds, no, thousands of joyous throats. They know what is now to be free. Yes, we will rebuild."

Then there is only the arcing sword as it comes up higher than the clouds and falls down on Link like a mountain.

The sword is sharp and it slices through the stone like butter. It runs through rooms that have sheltered Hyrule`s sons and daughters for centuries. It crushes paintings and sculptures; thrones and memories. It hits the ground with a great plume of dust, bringing Hyrule Castle, the last symbol of a just rule, crumbling to earth.

But Link is not to be found in the rubble. For as the sword descended Link gave a mighty leap off the tallest stone, falling again through the air even as Gannon`s blade reduced all below to dust. As he fell he yelled and in his yell was his heart beating bravely against evil that would snuff out life with a breath. He fell down towards a metal god that had twisted with the weight of the sword, exposing the back of its neck.

His hands grips the sword hilt with white knuckles and a green, rippling fire appears around the blade. The golden skin rushes up at him as the wind whips madly at his clothes. Link`s yell grows louder as the small triforce on Gannon`s neck grows closer. Then with a slam the sword point sinks right into the middle of the triangle.

Link`s muscles are rigid, expecting anything but the sudden silence. He opens his eyes and in front of him is a single bolt of lightning frozen in the act of touching the giant metal head. He gasps into the silence of stopped time, the sound falling dead on still air.

"Was it ever fate, I wonder?" and Link looks up to see the ghostly figure of Gannondorf floating in front of the lightning bolt. "Was it fate that I should have spent my life so? I wonder what would have been, Link, if we had known each other as younger men. Would we have been friends?" There is the look of peaceful acceptance on Gannondorf`s face and he look down in a smile, "It is your turn now Link. Watch what you would desire."

Link opens his mouth to speak but there is a clap of thunder that buffets him so viciously he almost loses his grip on the sword. The metal giant shudders once and then begins slowly to topple forwards into the last ruins of the castle. Link shifts his balance, riding the body downward and plunges off at the last moment. His roll carries him far away into the prairie grass. He skids to a stop in grass, flat on his back and struggles to rise.

A bright glow builds over the fallen giant. Link tries to run but stumbles and falls. He raises his head to look back just as, with a noiseless burst, the body explodes. White light engulfs Link until he knows no more.

* * *

…

…

….

….

Ahhh, it is done.

It is done but there is only darkness for Link. In his mind, in his heart, in his soul- nothing but an infinite stretch of sky absent of any stars. He aches for life and a single word to say to a certain girl. But there is nothing.

Then there is something. A speck of gold in the distance and he moves toward it. It grows into a single, golden triangle, hovering in the vast nothing. It burns into his mind until all he sees is this glowing triforce. He reaches out with a hand that glows with its own tattoo. There is a flash and suddenly three slender creatures of glowing energy stand before him. They echo in the colors of yellow, blue and red. One in the middle steps forward and extends its hand. Link reaches out again and this time his hand isn`t burning, merely pulsing with light and its own vibrant vitality.

There are streaks now in front of his eyes and he realizes they are flying, soaring past stars and into distant places Link has only dreamed of. A planet in the distance grows larger, green and blue with a large sun hovering behind it.

In Link`s mind a soft and wise voice blooms, "Let us tell you a story, young one…."

* * *

_Author`s Note: One more chapter and then its done. Far enough that I think I can let it lie where it ends. Thanks,_


	35. Sunset over Hyrule

_Author`s Note: This is the last. An end to a story that flowed sometimes and dragged through the mud on others. Im proud of a few passages in some chapters that contain exactly what I wanted to say, especially _20, 22, 27. _I`ll admit there are a few plot errors but I hate rewriting, maybe ill get to it someday. Anyway hope all enjoyed the story. Further Edit: It seems people are still reading this. If you made it to the end, let me know what you thought or how I can improve in certain areas, thanks!  
_

They say there is the touch of divine madness in storms, that in their raging power all our fears and small jealousies are stirred to the surface to mix with the very chaos of the sky. They leave us battered in their wake, wondering what form and reason, if any, ever existed within that boiling mass. But if there is to be anything good gleamed from a storm it is in its absence, in the tendrils of gray drifting clouds as they break and depart, in the smell of the earth as droplets of rain steam into the air and in the trailing aftermath of a freshly scrubbed sky.

* * *

The Fairy Queen looks up at the blue sky in wonderment. The tattooed designs on her skin shift through vibrant colors, bright blues, yellows and tinges of autumn orange. Her eyes are open wide and sparkle a dazzling purple even as slight tears roll down her cheeks. She has seen star-shot cosmos and the gifted creation of her own dear world but the very act of seeing this simple day of blue brilliance is a new wonder for her.

Thus inspired she closes her eyes and begins to sing. There are no words to be heard as it is the language of the faeries.

But the song is less that of spoken word and more vibrations of the heart. There is magic coiled around the melody so that it seems a dream takes shape as she sings. At first there is dread and fear, and the arrival of dark clouds on the horizon. Her voice shudders and pitches low. Then there is the sense of hope; green leaves blowing in bright sunlight. The Fairy Queen rolls her voice into sorrow, filled with long period of silence and a few brief notes. And then, growing from a single note so soft one strains to hear it, is a rising, arching span of joyous tones. They grow together quicker and quicker and in the dream a single source of light flickers on and off, but always getting brighter. But then she stops and it is like the world holds its breath. Her eyes open and like the sun rising she sings into that silence, shattering it with a melody of bright harmony. She sing and in that dream morning has come after the long night.

As she ends the song she puts a graceful hand down on Zelda`s shoulder and with the last note bends down and delivers a kiss upon her forehead. With her lyrical voice she announces to the room, "Now let's crown a Queen!". She then bows out of the room.

The room erupts in joyous applause and the crowds spread outside on the grass and up on the hills catch the mood and send their voices high into the sky in good cheer.

It has been five days since the fall of Gannon and already the people of Hyrule begin to rebuild. Word spread by runners and everywhere all the nations emerged from hiding or knocked down fortifications and joined the mass pilgrimage to the ruins of Hyrule Castle. The first to arrive were the survivors of the battle at Lake Hyrule; Malon and her army of grim soldiers. Malon herself was the first to spot the two figures; Zelda in her torn dress sitting besides an unconscious Link in deep grass, his hands bandaged with strips of cloth. The crowd grew around them and soon word spread of Link`s victory over Gannon.

All that was left of the giant monstrosity was a few huge chunks of golden metal that when one put an ear to it it echoed with a soft ring as if someone somewhere was dimly yelling.

Many had moved back into town, banding together to hunt and burn any of the foul creatures still left. There were great bonfires that burned for several days and many said they could hear hissing and screams coming from the bodies of monsters thrown into the flames. After three days fresh timber and paint showed up here and there, and already colorful pennants flew in pride from rebuilt houses.

On the fourth day, when the plains around the ruins and town were filled with thousands of hopeful and joyous people, they turned towards rebuilding Hyrule and thus holding a coronation for princess Zelda. The stories and tales of Link and Zelda`s adventure had already passed into legend during the first few nights when hundreds had gathered around campfires to tell of the Hero of Time.

So, on the morning of the fifth day, after working all night they had gathered for a crowning and, in truth, a proclamation of sudden peace and freedom.

The coronation is simply built: three walls of stone from the fallen walls of the castle with the fourth open at the back so all could witness the ceremony. The floor is laid with polished wood that had once been fanciful pieces of cabinets and tables. The patchwork walls are decorated with red strips of carpet salvaged from the castle`s great halls. And in the back wall, inset in the stone is the only piece of glass to survive intact: a stained-glass pane depicting a sword bisecting a single, golden triangle.

The entire ceremony is open to the sky and from time to time people lift their faces to the sun just to feel its warmth. Soldiers scarred and carrying the fatigue of many hard years of drawn out fighting stand side-by-side with the pale and nearly stick thin survivors that had hidden in the mountains and harsh forests. Yet they elbow each other and wink and grin and some talk for a bit before suddenly and spontaneously laughing and hugging. It is joy and it is infectious on this bright day.

Then Zelda leaves the group of people she was talking to and ascends the stairs of the dais, stopping just before the top of the smooth platform. She lifts her gaze across the large hall and over the heads of the thousands gathered outside. The murmur of voices dies and all look up at this regal woman, who looks into the distance, into the future. The small tattoo on her hand glows slightly. One of the women in armor to her side notices and strides up to the bottom of the stairs. Her voice rings out like a horn of the battlefield yet betrays her joy by a giant smile.

"Hyrule!" A thunderous roar. "We are a nation once again! We have fought hard since that dark day seven years ago and never gave in, never gave up! I am proud to stand here today with all of you, proud to see smiling faces, hands at work rebuilding and old friends I thought I had lost. Today is a celebration, not only of victory and freedom but of renewal. Today we get a chance to start over. Look to your neighbors- they fought as you fought and believe as you now believe. That it is possible for peace to exist! Let us remember this day as the day Hyrule was united and never forget the reasons for living!" Here she pumps a hand into the air, "To unity!" the people roar. "To peace!" they echo in turn. "To Zelda!" and as the cheering dies Zelda comes down and puts a hand on Malon`s shoulder. "That's enough Malon, let's give the people a Queen." Malon stands to the side as Zelda returns to the top of the stairs and turns to the room.

Her golden hair is cut short and the blue dress she wears is hardly worthy of royalty but there is not a person in the room who looks at her and does not at once think, "My Queen." Zelda, in a warm voice calls out, "Let the crown bearer come forward."

His sword and shield gleam in the morning sunlight and his green tunic stands out from the gray stone. The crystal crown looks out of place in the rough gloves of his hands. But his eyes are blue and intense and stare straight ahead even as the crowd begins to whisper. This is the first time he`s been seen since the end of the battle and so people stare open-mouthed and wonder, "That must be Link!" Word grows and before long there is cheering and clapping and people yelling Link`s name. Women throw garlands of flowers and kisses in the air. Men bow and salute.

Yet for Link he hears none of it. His eyes focus only on the woman he has seen once since giving her a kiss and sending her running. He had awakened under the blue sky looking up at her beautiful, worried face. Her joy at seeing him alive had made him cry out in a laugh and he had reached out to stroke her cheek. She had held his hand there for five shared heartbeats before Malon had arrived, running and shouting. Since then no word had reached him from her and he had hid inside a tent from the swelling mass of people. For four days he did little but think and sleep. And if he had come to no easy resolution he at least felt repaired of mind and body.

Now he approached Zelda with a bit of nervousness. All the time he had spent trying to save her and Hyrule she had needed him. He was her hero, her knight. And he knew she was grateful But now she is to be a Queen of a united Hyrule and needs no hero galloping about with a sword. So he approaches, still captivated by her beauty, still in awe of everything she is, but unsure where Link, the hero, fits within her life.

The cheering has died down and everyone seems to hold their breath. Zelda looks down at Link and his heart catches. "My hero," she says softly and lowers her head. In the silence and with the sun streaming through the stained glass windows Link lowers the crown down upon her head, his fingers brushing past her ears. "My Queen," he whispers. Then she stands and Link is the first to kneel, declaring in a loud, solid voice, "My Queen."

And then, like a wave, they kneel. Old and young, men and women, row after row of people kneel and intone, "My Queen." Even the gathered Zora and Goran pay their respects, gracefully folding their knees or crashing to the ground with a thud. The ones up front kneel first and then it ripples outward. Those on the hill outside kneel last but even those do so with sincerity.

And then from every nook and corner appear hundreds of small, orange faeries, dancing and weaving in the air above the silent, bowed crowd. The music of the faeries follow their jubilant dancing; a soft, fun tune that soon draws every head up in a smile. The crowd is now laughing and some surge forward to congratulate the Queen. She talks to everyone and makes plans for the days to come. Once she glances up, searching in all that festive noise and movement for one single person. But Link is nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The wind has come up on the plains and the smoke from a hundred campfires drift over the afternoon sky. The coronation is over and everyone has scattered to enjoy a brief rest in the sun. Zelda finally pulls away from a group of advisors and walks out of the coronation hall. The green grass of the plains bends in waves, coursing around the tents and wagons set up here and there. She walks in-between cooking lunches and chattering folk. They greet her with bows and good word. She leaves the mass of camped people and stands at the fringe of the piled remains of the castle.

The castle is no more, only piles of stone and mortar scattered outward from the center. She thinks of her younger years, of the time spent running up and down its halls and enjoying its comforting embrace of lofty architecture. "The symbol of Hyrule is gone," she thinks, "and yet it will be rebuilt. It must." Then the fleeting sounds of some instrument can be heard on the wind, seeming to come from the ruined castle and she starts forward, curious as to the player.

She steps around the massive stones and threads through the tangled mess of wood and glass, over foundations that held up her family for generations. The music grows louder and it becomes recognizable. "My melody?" Finally she comes to the center of the castle, in a small room that still bears a floor of stone and a few feet of walls. With her back turned to her Link plays the small, blue ocarina, hardly moving as the notes lift up and down like the breath of the wind. Her memories are so wrapped up in the song that she continues to gaze at Link`s back even after he stops playing and turns. "I thought I would play it one last time here, before I go." He looks at her once, then looks down and smiles.

Zelda follows his gaze and there on the floor is a large, golden medallion, rudely inset in the stone. It`s surface is etched with three triangles forming the united Triforce. Link bends down and strokes a finger across its surface. "It`s fitting isn`t it? That he should serve as a reminder of the temptations of power. If I were you I would display it permanently and make every generation understand its importance."

Zelda hesitantly asks, "Is that..?" and Link answers, "Yes it is. Melted down at my request. Perhaps you can add an inscription."

Zelda walks closer to Link and calls out playfully, "I`ve got one. _Dedicated to the Hero of Time. Loyalty and Courage to the Throne. Dearly beloved by his people and his Queen_."

And Link finally meets her eyes full on, and with a voice full of emotion, "and what about you?"

She turns away, looking out through ruined walls at the colorful pennants flying in the wind. "Me?" she says and closes her eyes. Her shoulders rise and fall under the strain of her thoughts and a single tear struggles to escape her long lashes. "I am a Queen now Link."

And down come the stones of the castle, crashing upon his shoulders and driving him down to the ground where he yells in defeat. But Link simply stands there and the only indication of his disappointment is a long-drawn-out breath and the clink of his sword and shield as he draws himself up.

Zelda turns to him then. "Link. I, what can I say? I, Hyrule, owe you so much more than any words can express. You are our hero and for that you will never lack for friends or home. But Hyrule must have a queen in this time of rebirth and I cannot be anything else to my people."

Link tries one last time, "But what about to me?" His face is drawn up tight, nearly expressionless.

Zelda approaches Link and lays a hand on his shoulder. "As your Queen I cannot say what you want me to say Link."

"As my Queen?" whispers Link.

"As your Queen," repeats Zelda sadly.

And Link kneels before her, his sword out, tip resting on the ground and forehead pressed to hilt. "Then I am still your hero, My Queen." He stays that way until she reaches out with a hand to touch his bare head. "Rise my hero." He rises.

He sheathes his sword, gives a sigh and turns for the open plains. He grabs a heavy pack by the short wall and shrugs it on. He is nearly out of the room when Zelda call to him, "Wait! There will be room for you here in the castle once it is rebuilt. We could always use help, there`s bound to be more creatures to round up and many of the survivors will need to be taught how to fight. You don`t have to leave."

Link pauses at the threshold and calls over his shoulder. "Malon should do a fine job. No, the open road calls to me and you know far too well what I must protect. No, my queen, this is goodbye." With that he sets out through the fallen stone and, walking quickly with ground-eating strides, enters the undulating grass. Soon, as Zelda stands at the wall watching, he mounts the lone hill, pauses at the top and then is gone.

* * *

The sun is slanting and golden, leaving a sheen on every tip of grass as Link makes his way further and further from the Castle. His stride is strong and sure and from time to time he reaches down to pluck a blade of grass and put it between his lips. But then he turns and there on the horizon is a small, gray spot that is the ruins of Hyrule. He turns away quickly, almost unable to bear the sight. He makes it a few steps to an outcrop of rock before his knees buckle and he drops to the ground, catching himself with a hand. There, with his face to the dirt, he grimaces as his muscles contract in a soundless sob. In frantic anger, unable to contain a flood of emotion he stabs a fist out at a boulder of rock. Spidery cracks form from the impact but he does not notice.

_Zelda._ Her face floats in his mind. "_You are our hero. My hero. But not my heart."_ The words race around his mind, numbing the world to everything else that is not her. All those nights and long days of marching and fighting, her vision always in his heart. She had been Hyrule, the symbol and meaning of his courage. There had been other women that he had loved, women that gave him comfort in the times he felt ravaged by an uncaring world. They had given and taken together, and through their love he had been granted the strength to carry on.

But Zelda? She was the one. From the time he first met her eyes as she galloped past in that too real dream, to the time he had watched Gannon pull her in his cloak and vanish. That very real feeling in his heart that said "yes there are others, but they are not her." And he mourns now, that he could not see her smile from a kiss in peace or sit simply and talk and explain all the fears and struggles he went through. His heart feels close to breaking from betrayal.

"So this is how Gannon felt," thinks Link.

But the difference between them is that Link cannot ignore the truth. The dance of love takes two and his assumptions on her part are only that. With a deep breath that mirrors a great internal effort he withdraws from the woman who could give him happiness, walls off the regal face of beauty and consigns it to the deep parts of his soul. Though not a part of his body twitches he is slowly and surely drawing about the mantle of responsibility, covering the young woman deeper and deeper.

So Link proves true to his name. And if everyone knew him by Link then they knew not his real name. He was not born to it, he did not inherit from some illustrious ancestor and nor he did buy it at the price of a few short adventures. Child? Adventurer? Swordsman? Lover? Fighter? No, Hero.

The name Hero is given quite freely but taken? Almost never. So, with dust stirring at his feet as he stands and the breeze snapping his clothes as he turns, he becomes a hero. Not for great deeds done or lives saved but for quietly standing strong in the lonely places of the world.

Soon he comes to his destination for the night: Malon`s ranch. The solid hill of stone still rises above the plains like an up thrust mountain but the ranch itself lies in heavy disarray. The shadows are long as Link walks through the damaged fence and through overgrown fields of wheat. The roof of the barn has fallen inwards and there are giant holes in the walls. Link looks inside but apart from the whistling wind there are only the charred remains of dead timber and broken shards of milk bottles.

He pauses in the avenue leading to the house, listening and remembering. There is the laughter of children playing under the stars or the smell of spicy food and the great roar of Talon telling his stories. Even the whispery sound of wheat ready to be harvested. The tune is there before he knows why, and reaching to his ocarina, he begins to play the notes Malon sung so long ago. Leaves go drifting by from overgrown trees and the playful wind seems to pick them up and swirl them around Link. But no horse comes running in the late afternoon light and so he heads inside the house.

But there is no welcome inside, no surprising memoirs or odd mementos he could have taken for a keepsake. Only dust and broken furniture. His boots pound the boards of the floor as he peers into different rooms, half-hoping to see a young Malon grinning or even himself looking up curiously at some strange object. "What am I looking for?" he wonders. "A family, a home, something familiar?"

But it will be a home for Link, at least for a few days until he plans his next move. So he strikes apart several chairs and odd planks for a fire that night and makes a bed for himself in the corner next to the fireplace. He looks around finally and takes a deep breath. "It will do," he says. Then there comes a sound from outside, like footsteps through the dry wheat. He runs to the door and throws it open.

Two big, blue eyes greet Link followed by a pink tongue that gives a good, long lick. "Epona!" he cries and throws his arms around the horse's neck. Epona wuffs good naturedly and neighs as if to say "you too." Link takes a step back and gives her a good look. Her pelt is still the beautiful color of burnt autumn and with every step she prances with strength and grace. "Still the same huh? Where have you been?" He slips a hand up along her muzzle and strokes her face, nuzzling forehead to forehead. "At least I still have one old friend, eh." And they wander past the barn into the meadow of wild wheat.

It is the dying time of the day, when the sun nears the horizon and blazes in beauty. The clouds in the sky all arc across the blue canvas, stretching as one towards the disc of fire. It's that time of day when all of nature lies tinged under its paint, all is outlined in gleaming gold. There is the look of softness and yet everything resembls beaten metal. It is a rarity of times that in the combination of all disparate elements, there yields not a muddled mess of scenery but a simple and direct soaring of the heart.

Epona folds herself down into the grass and Link joins her, leaning against the broad stretch of her back. "Ahh, it is nice, these times of day. This will be our lot from now on, you know. Nothing but sunsets over broad horizons, starry skies and endless mountains. I`m looking forward to it; camping every night, exploring new lands and always journeying towards the horizon. Just think of it, Epona!" The sun nears horizon, growing more flamingly brilliant with every second. Link takes his ocarina out and starts to play random notes.

The notes join together into a song that starts to sound familiar. "Damn!" exclaims Link and throws it down at his feet. "It isn`t easy Epona. I can`t forget her." And he leans forward with a hand to his face and squeezes his eyes tight. Epona`s ears flicker out and her head turns.

"I don`t know Epona, I know I can always go on being a hero, shutting her out, but come the slightest thought or hint of her and it all comes flooding back." Epona whuffs and neighs at Link`s head. "I know girl, I know. Time will heal, huh? Yeah, never did believe that myself." A long sigh and then he lifts his head up to the heavenly-stained clouds. "My Queen," he whispers.

"My Hero," the voice whispers back and there she is, standing at the broken fence, golden hair and white dress blowing with the wind. She smiles like she`s struggling not to cry and holds her hands stiffly at her side. "Hello Link." She looks down at the grass, over at the barn, up at the blazing sunset, back at Link still sitting down and hardly breathing. She takes a step, he is on his feet. He speaks in a whisper, sounding like a piece of himself torn from deep inside, "Zelda." Then he`s running and her smile turns into a grin like she`s trying to hide a joyous laugh. He stops in front of her and goes to a knee, "My Queen, I..."

She overrides everything he would say by dropping to a knee and taking his hands. "Never my Queen, say only my name, Link, only my name." And she presses his hands to her cheeks. "Hyrule has her Queen. And she will do a good job. But Hyrule also has many friends and right now she is in capable hands. They will find the Queen quite ready for rebuilding after a good and long rest."

Link looks into her eyes. She looks back, testing, waiting, watching. At first he is confused, eyes tightened with recent hurt. But then understanding gradually wins through and he takes away his hands. Zelda looks confused now but quickly smiles.

Link removes the leather gloves he has worn since that weary battle. With his hands now bared he reaches up tenderly cups her cheeks. "Zelda," he says, "Zelda, Zelda, Zelda. It is the sweetest sound I have ever heard." She smiles shyly and reaches up to cover the two tattooed-triangles with her own hands. "Can you forgive me Link? For being who I had to be, earlier today?"

"Forgive?" and he presses his nose against hers, forehead to forehead. "I would do it all again a hundred times, and every time not knowing if you would be here, a hundred times of pain and longing just to see you and hold you and…"

"And what, my hero, my savior, my partner in destiny, my….love?" Her eyes look questioningly at his and the moment seems to stretch forever. A moment when princess and hero, fate and destiny fade and there is only a man and a woman.

"Just one thing," whispers Link and with the sun casting a burning halo behind them they kiss.

The End


End file.
